We take an opportunity to add this voice
to the dialogue
Patricia Jackson is a Youth & Family Advocate for the Native Courtworker and
Counselling Association of British Columbia, and, as noted on the title (or
index) page, Patricia was declared the Aboriginal Woman of Distinction by Today’s Woman for the 7th Annual
presentation of the northern award. She received the honours during a banquet in
Prince George, at the Coast North Inn, Sep 21st, 07. She won this recognition from tireless
work at an urgent task.
“We are supposed to support our clients who
are facing an imbalance. We advocate correcting injustice.” Patricia Jackson
comes to the job with the correct set of bonafide personal experiences because,
yes, Patricia managed to skirt residential school horrors (by falling outside an
age demographic), but incidentally underwent her own disturbing
experiences, almost exactly what Governor General Adrienne Clarkson
(Ret.) calls Systemic Racism in Canada.
Systemic racism
puts people into precarious, critically and severely prejudiced,
government-legislated losses of human rights from which there is no escape by any
means, because it is race-based.
Patricia Jackson was
put into a system of foster care where she grew up in a system of policies under Bill Vanderzalm,
renowned and renounced as a form of zealot as then-minister of families,
and Patricia Jackson lived in one of those ‘foster’ homes filled with frightful encounters, in Valemount, BC;
she describes endless days filled with assault and battery, deprivation, and insane
rants and dictates. These actions were apparently foisted upon dozens of First Nation kids
wrenched thousands of kilometres from home. She was born in Metlakatla, a
member of the Tsimshian Nation.
Court proceedings
have shown the evidence of minister of the government Vanderzalm’s specifically
issued orders for social workers to look the other way, practically obstruction
of justice, which permitted wider abuses. The former premier gained a
reputation from a lot of bad decisions and poor judgement. This incident,
according to Patricia, paints a very dark picture of his period, as a former BC
government minister.
She survived (to raise a family) and turned to a profession that
provides hope of retribution, in other words, a highly noble cause for the creation
in society of behaviour that treats everybody with the same justice, where
justice prevails more than here and there, when and if somebody gets caught
flatfooted under a spotlight with hundreds of witnesses who cannot deny . . . .
Except the problem is
that under systemic racism hundreds of witnesses are no use whatsoever to
justice. Jews who survived the Holocaust tell of a whole continent of
several nationalities acting as witnesses against them simply for being Jews.
Systemic racism can
become absurd, like the system in Rwanda that sparked the genocide of 800,000
Tutsis because they had been favoured by Belgian colonials who specified a
structure based on light skin Africans deigned to rule over dark skin Africans.
It worked that way until the day the Belgians departed, and the Hutus took
revenge.
Systemic racism in
Canada is no less absurd. It is no less arbitrary, no less cruel, no less
obvious, and equally as destructive as any system of racism the world has ever
seen.
Fortunately we live
in an evolving society that is proving capable of a discourse toward
retribution. Patricia Jackson is able to lead the way. She has co-workers at the Native
Courtworker and Counselling Association of British Columbia www.nccabc.ca who cover the territory, following the circuit court, meeting
clients and pursuing the cause of justice. Patricia has
toiled in a Quebec Street office in downtown Prince George, to bring about
change in one life or hopefully one family at a time, working to salve wounds
suffered either by hook or by crook. She is happy to report the NCCABC offices are
moving to new quarters.
She has worked at 154
Quebec Street, Prince George, in a historic property. It may well be one of the first
commercial properties in Northern British Columbia, indeed, may have been a
trading post. It is quaint, cramped, creaky, a false front, and they are
moving.
These folks are too busy to pay attention to false fronts and
antiquated notions. Patricia is making a place for
people in society, and sometimes she delivers unexpected landings for kids. For
instance, starting last year she worked with the business manager for the WHL Cougars,
Brandi Brodsky, to build a program with businesses to put hundreds of kids in
arena seats, fed, clothed, housed, and often over the moon with joy to receive an
invitation to the spectacle of world class junior
hockey. Disadvantaged, at risk, handicapped, or just lucky for once, some kids
might to turn a corner through heartfelt endeavours. She knows for a
fact it is worth the effort. She has been mentored by others and
Patricia speaks about Gloria George, a Hereditary Chief , who inspired a
program to create retribution and healing in the Prince George
Provincial Corrections facility. This program is presently underway dealing with residential
school trauma.
“This program is
entering another phase," said Patricia, "and the trauma workshops are being funded by the
Anglican Church for this next round.” Patricia noted, “This is the first corrections facility in
Canada to offer recovery assistance to residential school survivors,” and the
program owes its existence, she said, to Gloria George. The United Church contributed the funding
for the first phase.
Patricia points out
another essential ingredient in the association’s success, the NCCABC is entirely First Nation operated and
staffed. “My Regional Manager is Arthur Paul, and he works out of the 50 Powell Street,
Vancouver BC office. He lets me do my job to the best of my ability. He has been
responsible for making me a better employee,” where she has been at NCCABC for 2 years,
"and on Dec 8th will be entering my third year of employment.
The NCCABC,” including Darlene Shackelly, Executive Director, “has
empowered us," she said "by believing and supporting us.”