I am not the Prime Minister's Wife

Yes, my last name is Harper.
But no, I am not related to Stephen Harper, who is the current Prime Minister of Canada.

Laureen Harper, who is not me.

Me

I am far too awesome to be associated with the likes of Stephen Harper. The above pictures are total proof of that.

Ok, now I think is the time appropriate for some background info. In my first placement, I had my students address me by my first name, which I think they were kind of uncomfortable with. They called me "Miss Sylvia". Which is laughable, because I am certainly not a-miss, I think, although some people might see differently (see my pun there?).

It's a really complicated story, but I'll try to summarize it easy for you. 

My maternal grandmother was Ruth Rhoda Harper. Her dad was James Harper, who fathered, among my grandmother and other people, John Joseph Harper (aka. J. J. Harper). Now, J. J. Harper played a pivotal role in the history of aboriginal people in Manitoba. It was because of his death that the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry was launched (See here). It was this inquiry that brought the attention of the mainstream public to the relationship between the justice system and Aboriginal people. In essence, he was killed because he was native, and what makes it worse is that he was killed by the Winnipeg Police Department. But you know what? As bad as this case was, I am so glad that his death wasn't in vain. His death played an important role in Manitoba's history. He was smart. He was interested in politics and making a better world for our people. The only problem was his skin color. If he wasn't brown, he wouldn't have been confronted and killed on that fateful night, March 10, 1988. I was 7 years-old at the time, and I still can't erase from my memory the wailing cries of my grandmother when she was informed of his death. 

Adam Beech, who portrayed my late-uncle in "Cowboys and Indians" Isn't he handsome? 

My late-uncle, J.J. Harper

Me, at the age of 7

So what is the point of this post? I will tell you now. When I was younger, I was ashamed of being native. I was ashamed of the colour of my skin and the language I spoke. I was ashamed of being associated with the "drunken Indian" stereotype that we were being portrayed of in the media. I am even ashamed of the fact that occasionally, I drink "almost" every Friday night. I am so afraid of being stereotyped that I keep my big mouth closed all of the time. Even in class, which I regret because most of my classmates don't know how awesome and outspoken I really am.

So, can you blame me?

I know that I have really awesome classmates. Thankfully, I have never encountered a blatant case of  racism, intolerance, or ignorance. Most of the people I have encountered have been really nice. However, I do have ears, and I do have friends who have encountered these kinds of people. I guess I'm lucky. Because when I feel really angry or provoked, this is what I look like:

Minus the blond hair and white skin of course. 

But you know, this is how I looked like when, in my undergrad course "Aboriginal Literature for Children and Youth" I talked about my uncle, who was raped by a priest when he attended residential school. Except I was a lot more red-nosed and snotty. I am so not a pretty crier. 

Carey Mulligan, Pretty Crier

So there is a lot of history in my past (and my generation's past's) that makes me cry, but what I hold on to the most is the humour. I am so proud of my gift as a story-teller, and I am so proud of my ability to see humour and beauty in everything I see. I see the best in everything and everyone I encounter, and I hold onto these images. Because even the worst people have good qualities about them. 

I hope to be able to carry these abilities onto my teaching experiences. I KNOW that my abilities to hold onto these qualities will be sorely tested, but I hope to never forget about them, or my heritage.

This post was made in memory of my late grandmother (Nookoom) Ruth Rhoda Wood, the late J.J. Harper and the late Helen Betty Osborne.

Nookoom Nootah

John Joseph Harper

Helen Betty Osborne

Sylvia