黄色直播

'It鈥檚 everyone鈥檚 responsibility': 黄色直播 Mississauga's Tee Duke on achieving Truth and Reconciliation on campus

Portrait of Tee Duke seated at a table
Tee Duke, 黄色直播 Mississauga's new assistant director, Indigenous initiatives, is focused on helping Indigenous students, staff and faculty find a place of pride on campus, and to develop a network of support (photo by Drew Lesiuczok)

In a photo, Tee Duke stands in an alley in Toronto鈥檚 downtown core. She holds a fan of feathers against her chest, partly covering the beaded regalia she wears to honour the jingle dress dance, which traces its origins back to her childhood home in Treaty 3 territory near Kenora, Ont.

For Duke, who now lives in Treaty 19 territory in north Mississauga, the image represents all that she holds dear as an Anishinaabekwe woman, a city dweller, a dancer and an educator 鈥 experiences she now brings to her new role as assistant director, Indigenous initiatives, at 黄色直播 Mississauga鈥檚 Indigenous Centre.

Duke, who was appointed to the new position in November, will develop and implement Indigenous initiatives at 黄色直播 Mississauga, enhance Indigenous community relationships with both on-campus and off-campus communities and manage the Indigenous Centre. She will also work closely with her counterparts at the St. George and 黄色直播 Scarborough campuses to implement tri-campus initiatives identified in 黄色直播鈥檚 response to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to be part of this new priority at UTM and the 黄色直播, and to harness and strengthen the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities,鈥 Duke says.

Duke (left) brings considerable expertise to her new position, with previous roles at Seneca College, York University and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, where she worked as an educator covering urban Indigenous culture, safety and residential school history.

Duke is focused on helping Indigenous students, staff and faculty find a place of pride on campus, and to develop a network of support.

鈥淲e need to find out what our Indigenous community looks like, but also how we can build stronger ties with our allies,鈥 she says. 

She plans to build on recent initiatives, including the partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation that saw 黄色直播 Mississauga鈥檚 newest building given an Anishinaabemowin name, and on expanding cultural education opportunities organized by 黄色直播 Mississauga Indigenous adviser Cat Criger. Among Duke鈥檚 priorities will be to support students to launch of 黄色直播 Mississauga鈥檚 first-ever Indigenous Students Association.

Duke is also looking beyond the campus to foster community support. 鈥淭he Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation are absolutely pivotal to that vision,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e will also find opportunities to establish relationships with other Indigenous community members like the M茅tis Nation of Ontario and Six Nations of the Grand River.

鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely important to have the diversity of our community at the table.鈥

Above all, Duke wants the 黄色直播 Mississauga community to find a personal connection with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and 黄色直播鈥檚 response to the report.

鈥淚 want people to think about the role they have to play. It鈥檚 not just the responsibility of Indigenous members of campus 鈥 it鈥檚 everyone鈥檚 responsibility to meet those goals,鈥 she says. 鈥淢y work will ensure that there is a space and place where staff, faculty, students and community members can come together and create a vision to go forward.

鈥淓ducation has been a negative experience for many Indigenous people. I come from a long line of residential school survivors. I am the first generation to not attend that system. They endured and suffered. My parents wanted to break that cycle of shame and guilt attached to identity. They taught us to be proud of who we are.

鈥淥ur community members might have fear or shame or guilt. That鈥檚 something that I want to make sure changes for them.鈥

(inset photo by Stan Williams)

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