“This perpetuates a vicious and oppre
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
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PAOV — You can make a difference. Sign now to join Charlotte in urging officials to reinstate the beading program for Indigenous women at Headingley Women’s Correctional Centre.
REINSTATE INDIGENOUS WOMEN TO SELL THEIR BEADING IN HEADINGLEY WCC
1,585 have signed Charlotte Poitras’s petition. Let’s get to 2,500!
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Years ago, Indigenous Women initiated a beading program within... the Headingley Women’s Correctional Centre, just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba. They showcased and sold their artistic creations. Originally intended as a means of healing and empowerment, the program evolved into an informal network of Indigenous social enterprise for these women.
However, on May 6th, 2023, the Headingley Women’s Correctional Centre made an announcement stating that Indigenous women were no longer permitted to sell their beadwork. While later on limited exceptions were granted for "special occasions," inmates who attempted to sell or even send out their creations continued to face punitive measures. Kelvin Goertzen even had the audacity to say “The Women’s Correctional Centre, it’s not Amazon. We’re not running a shipping center out of there”. Clearly emphasizing his ignorance and severe lack of knowledge or care for the rehabilitation of Indigenous Women. No action or official response has been made and many emails go unanswered. LET’S PUT THE HEAT ON THEM.
The act of depriving Indigenous women of the opportunity to sell their beading and earn an income is undeniably cruel. Every authoritative report, commission, or inquiry has affirmed the inherent right of Indigenous women to engage in cultural practices as a means of healing and empowerment. This decision stands in direct opposition to the principles of reconciliation.
Paradoxically, the system(s) expect Indigenous women involved in legal conflicts to rehabilitatethemselves, yet simultaneously create environments and impose punishments that hinder their progress. This perpetuates a vicious and oppressivecycle that further entrenchesIndigenouswomen within the justice system.
These actions epitomize the persistence of colonialism and its detrimentaleffects on Indigenous communities.
THIS IS AN URGENT MATTER AS THERE ARE INDIGENOUS WOMEN BEING RELEASED EVERY DAY AND FORCED INTO SHELTERS WITH NO MEANS OF PROVIDING FOR THEMSELVES.
Therefore as a community, we must say NO MORE to minimizing the needs and importance of supportingIndigenouswomen to continue beading as a way to provide for themselves and theircommunities, connect to their culture, and heal themselves.
“This was an outlet that allowed them to feel productive and inspired, while some of them sit in a cell for up to 21 hours a day. A lot of these women tell me that before this they paid little attention to their culture, so if we make all this progress, and then they just put an end to it, it doesn’t make any sense. These are women that often have nothing, and for some, this was providing the only avenue they have to help support their children and families” Sandra Burling co-founder of @womenhelpingwomen_beadwork explained.
A huge thank you to @womenhelpingwomen_beadwork on Instagram for spearheading this program and providing so many Indigenous Women with the opportunity and chance to help them make a living for themselves and escape the vicious cycle that is the criminal justice system.
Information and references come from @NahanniFontaine on Instagram. Photos from @womenhelpingwomen_beadwork
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