Relentless Indigenous Woman Co.

We are proudly an all-Indigenous team of Two Spirit & IndigiQueer People and women with grassroots experience and years of educational background 🪶🌿 Our commitment to our People and healing is what inspires each of us everyday 🤍 - To learn more about our deadly team members, check out our About tab at: https://lnkd.in/eyyv6y_V

Today I SUCCESSFULLY presented my defense for my PhD proposal 🤩 We’re getting close to the finish line, friends 🤍🤍 My committee expressed how honoured they are to be part of my research, and how significant this work is for education, queer folks, and Indigenous Peoples globally 🌎 The research topic is essentially about creating safe learning spaces for Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ students 🌈 - I will be making a formal call-out for participants in the coming days, so keep an eye out—especially if you’re a K-12 school principal or assistant principal in Northern Canada *hint hint* - Starblanket Pride earrings made custom by SACRD THNDR ⚡️

Our Relentless Clientele 🫶 “The thoughtful, positive feedback we received about Candace’s participation in our enterprise-wide event commemorating National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was overwhelming. Candace’s ability to engage an audience, speak truth, and share her and her community’s lived experience was powerful... We’re so grateful for her insights and teachings and look forward to future collaborations and engaging her to take our organization’s teams through next steps for reconciliation.” - Canadian Tire Company, Meaningful Reconciliation Fireside Talk - If your organization wants to become part of our Relentless Clientele and discuss our consulting services, book a 15-minute meeting with our CEO, Candace Linklater, here: https://lnkd.in/gQuVhC7z Learn more on our site: https://lnkd.in/eyyv6y_V

My PhD dissertation chair just shared with me that she’s so impressed with my proposal and wants to nominate me for an award for once I’m done my study 😭😭😭 She believes the uniqueness of my study needs to be read and understood by education scholars and practitioners everywhere. I was in tears right after my call 🥹 I guess I really am kicking doors down! 💫💫💫💫 - For those curious about my study, I will be exploring the role and needs of school principals in Northern Canadian communities in creating safe, decolonial, and culturally responsive educational environments for Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ K-12 students. I will be seeking participants soon, so keep an eye out! 😁 While we wait for my dissertation to be completed, you can view the 200+ citations I’ve used for my literature review. I placed the citation document in the comment section 🫶

Sustainable Indigenous solidarity does not rest upon the good intentions of settlers, so as to maintain their emotional equilibrium. It rests on the capacity to hold and move through discomfort in order to create and maintain change. As I continue my research on Indigenous solidarity for my book and PhD, I realize we’re not getting anywhere in Indigenous “reconciliation” because settlers don’t want to *feel* uncomfortable in hard truths. This is demonstrated over and over again, in my research, and in my work. Comfort maintains the status quo. How boring. How unimaginative. Go through the discomfort to elevate the collective. Like imagine how much more advanced as humans we’d be if people just upheld humanity (radical empathy) instead of power (comfort). Jee whiz. Anyway, hope this post helps some peeps reflect and imagine something better <3

Hard reality for Indigenous Peoples: Many organizations will not like us for who we are. They will like us for our resilience and our ability to succeed in the face of adversity. So they’ll place hardships in our way, as opposed to actually listening to our innovative and effective ideas. May you reocginize the difference and honour who you are, beyond your resilience 🤍

A few weeks ago I had the honour of speaking with the executives of the Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment–the company that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, and other teams—and offer them a presentation on Meaningful and Authentic Indigenous Solidarity 🥹🌿 I am so grateful for that opportunity, as hockey has always been a huuuuge part of the Rez life back home 🤍 I’ll be meeting with a directors of their non-profit foundation to discuss how they can contribute to the hockey leagues back home, where many of my previous students still play. I am always about bringing my community with me wherever I go 🪶 - If you’d like to learn more about the speaking engagements we offer, go to the Services tab at: https://lnkd.in/gvF47Jxk

Our Ancestors’ prophesies don’t work unless we do 🖤 In the Eighth Fire prophecy, our Ancestor prophets foretold that Indigenous People will step forward, sharing their knowledge and wisdom. This knowledge will unite with Western knowledge, and from this convergence, a new people will emerge, igniting the Eighth and final Fire 🔥 https://lnkd.in/eyyv6y_V

Weaponized incompetence. A form of passive-aggressive behavior and manipulation tactic where someone deliberately performs tasks poorly to avoid responsibility. This is a tactic many organizations use when attempting to create safe spaces for Indigenous Peoples. They’ll hire non-Indigenous Peoples for roles meant for Indigenous Peoples, or hire pretendians. And they wonder why they’re making no progress and why no grassroots Indigenous person gives a 💩 about their “reconciliation policies.” It’s because of their weaponized incompetence.

And if there is someone in that group yet they’re ignored, thier decisions aren’t made with that group in mind. The decisions were made to keep their job or to just “look” good. I see this wayyyy too much in organizations that have an Indigenous department, but there’s only like two natives and 15 non-Natives. It’s just colonization in another form.