The Black Students’ Network (BSN) of McGill University operates on the unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka on the island of “Montreal”, originally known as Tiotia:ke in the language of the Kanien’kehá:ka. Montreal is not just an island, but a historically important meeting place for other Indigenous nations, including the Omàmiwininì or Algonquin people. 

 

To properly address and attempt to dismantle the problems that we face as Black people, we have to be well informed of the history of Indigenous people on the land that we now settle. The same systems of oppression that once held us enslaved on Turtle Island, are the same that stole and renamed it Canada. As a service that advocates for the rights of Black students at McGill, we acknowledge the fact that the struggle for Indigenous rights is fundamentally connected to all anti-oppression work. Our service is committed to challenging a system that continues to oppress both Indigenous and Black people. We encourage everyone to educate themselves on the history of these stolen lands and stand in solidarity with Indigenous people now and always.  For more information, or to get involved, please read the Indigenous Ally Toolkit linked to our Black at McGill page, and donate time or money to the Native Women’s Shelter, Resilience Montreal, McGill Indigenous Community Network, or other Indigenous organizations.