In our final blog piece for the 2016-2017 year, we hear from Melanie Gray, a recent Queen’s graduate. In this piece, Melanie explores the concepts of belonging, connection and home through her experiences with that Queen’s Native Student Association.
I am incredibly honoured that I was approached to write a piece for the Together We Are blog about diversity and inclusion on campus. As a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) woman, I am aware of the adversity facing indigenous people in contemporary Canadian society – and Queen’s is not exempt from that. I would love to only explore the positive aspects of equity on campus as it existed during my time at Queens, but that celebration is not possible without acknowledging the hard work of the indigenous staff and students before me.
It has been a long road to finding equity on campus for not only indigenous students, but also those of other cultures, religions, and identities. While there are many positive things currently happening on campus that foster equity, diversity, and inclusion, it is important to acknowledge the passion that went into creating this present space. I would also like to note that there is still significant work to be done in this field.
In order to accurately discuss diversity and inclusion in the context of Queen’s, and because I was a member for four years, I would like to explore the development of the Queen’s Native Student Association and the work they have done to be recognized by the institution. I would also like to acknowledge that Queen’s University sits on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee land.
I was fortunate enough to become a member of the Queen’s Native Student Association during my first year at Queen’s. Over the course of my undergrad I had the honour of maintaining several roles in the association – everything from general member to president. Due to the resilience of the members before our time, the QNSA I joined had a lot of strength and opportunity when it came to engaging with the community outside our space at Four Directions. The members in the years before me had done so much work to give future generations of indigenous students – QNSA members or not – a voice on campus. The generation before my time at QNSA had a significant role in the instigation of the reorganization of the Aboriginal Education Council at Queen’s. They were politically active in representing not only their members but all indigenous students. Their work allowed me to enter an inclusive and welcoming space in tune with indigenous student’s needs. A space where I grew as a person, battled the worst occurrences of my life, and enjoyed the fondest memories of my undergrad.
You see, I entered Queen’s at the height of my anxiety diagnosis. I was struggling with social situations and was not comfortable with my body or mind. On top of my personal struggles, my mother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma first semester. If it had not been for the support and traditional teachings I received from QNSA and the greater indigenous community I would not have graduated. It is as simple as that. Having a space where I could explore my indigeneity made a whole world of difference in my Queen’s experience. I found a community that helped me foster my identity and was (hopefully) able to have the ability to do so for others. I also want to give a shout out to the indigenous students who graduated before me for challenging the traditional cap and gown graduation expectation in favour of wearing traditional regalia to the ceremony. Due to the actions of these resilient and passionate students, I was able to collect my BAH diploma wearing my first ever set of regalia. Here’s to the past and future generations!