Dr. Dawn Harvard - Speaker

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As a proud member of the Wikwemikong First Nation and the first Aboriginal Trudeau Scholar, I have worked to advance the rights of Aboriginal women as the President of the Ontario Native Women's Association since 2007. In my role as Director for First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University since October 2016 I have had the opportunity to share my lens on the traditional role of Indigenous women. My re-election as Board President in October 2018 at the 47 Annual ONWA General Assembly was a great honour. As a full-time mother of three girls I proudly follow in the footsteps of my mother Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, a noted advocate for Indigenous women’s rights. Since joining the Board of the Ontario Native Women Association as a youth director back in 1994 I have been working toward the empowerment of Aboriginal women and their families. I was co-editor of the original volume on Indigenous Mothering entitled “Until Our Hearts Are on the Ground: Aboriginal Mothering, Oppression, Resistance and Rebirth”, and also released a book along with Kim Anderson, entitled “Mothers of the Nations”, and co-edited a book with Jennifer Brant entitled “Forever Loved: Exposing the Hidden Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada”. I strongly believe that to heal the damage done by colonization Indigenous women must reclaim their leadership roles within our families, communities and nations. When we come together in a safe and supporting environment we build an important foundation that ensures past injustice is not allowed to repeat itself. ONWA is a shining example of one such environment. Their website speaks to their work, their successes and their role in empowering Indigenous women across Ontario.