The purpose of this spoken letter video was to create an authentic, individualized and sincere creative project that could contribute to social justice efforts of raising awareness, and showing solidarity with, the importance of implementing the Calls to Justice of the MMIWG Report. The inspiration for this project was built from reflecting on the tragedies of MMIWG and the systemic and cultural apathy that has faced Indigenous families and their communities following this ongoing crisis. At the base of this project was a poem I wrote that expressed a collective apology; one that attempts to relate/share in grief and frustration, as well as affirming a promise of allegiance, and of hope. 

In writing, I centred the poem around the concept of Namyawut, which is a Kwak’wala word from the language of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples Indigenous to the coastal northwest meaning that “we are all one”; this word was originally shared with me by my Aboriginal studies professor at Langara College in Vancouver, and has remained with me, influencing and interweaving within my own beliefs and ways of seeing the world ever since. The poem was also an opportunity for me to sincerely express my thoughts and desires, from human to human, reminding myself of our shared humanity, as well as the responsibility we all have to address the barriers, and alleviate suffering, of our Indigenous brothers and sisters. 

The video itself was created to accompany an audio overlay of the poem, with visuals that would personify the isolation Indigenous peoples have faced in Canadian society, both in location, but more explicitly, in socioeconomic, legal and political subjugation, negligence and alienation; that would illustrate the beauty of Indigenous peoples lands/Canada, as well as its ruggedness and harshness; and that would symbolize the immense void left by missing Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2SQIA peoples who are children, parents, and friends—the heart of every community. 

Furthermore, I implemented quotes that I felt aligned both with the subject matter and my own person views, provided by former Governor General of Canada, Romeo LeBlanc, and Gitxsan activist, social work professor, and executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, Cindy Blackstock (Blackstock, 2009; LeBlanc, 1996). 

Moreover, with the information and statistics provided through the report on MMIWG (2019), as well as by the Assembly of First Nations (2016), I attempted to set the stage of the video with a brief, but informative introduction of the national issue we all face. Overall, I hope the video encourages others to reflect on their shared humanity with Indigenous peoples and one another, recognizing how the suffering endured by all of us are not simply isolated incidents, with their resolution being a mutual responsibility. 

-Ryan D.
  

 References
 Assembly of First Nations. (2016, January 3). MMIWG missing and murdered Indigenous                                   women and girls and ending violence. Retrieved from https://www.afn.ca/policy-sectors/                                    mmiwg-end-violence/
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 Blackstock, C. (2009). The occasional evil of angels: Learning from the experiences of                                         Aboriginal peoples and social work. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 4(1), 28–37.
 Canadian Bahá’í News Service. (2017, October 3). "We are all one": Thousands join Walk for                             Reconciliation in Vancouver. Retrieved from https://news.bahai.ca/en/articles/we-are-all-                         one-thousands-join-walk-for-reconciliation-in-vancouver.html
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 Kenniff, K. (2016). Ebb/Flow. Remembrance. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/                                         keithkenniff/07-ebb-flow
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 LeBlanc, R. (1996, February). 1996 Native Role Models. Ottawa. Retrieved from https://                                      archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=140
 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (2019). Reclaiming                           power and place: Executive summary of the final report. Retrieved from https://                                     www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/
            
Executive_Summary.pdf
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 Pexels. (n.d.). The best free stock photos & videos shared by talented creators. Retrieved from                             https://www.pexels.com/.