Like many of us, I’ve been feeling all kinds of fear, anger, grief and rage this week.

Of course my own feelings are likely nothing compared to those of you who are residents of the United States and most especially those of you whose basic human rights are now at stake. Words cannot express my empathy and solidarity for you. Hopefully with time, my actions will speak louder than words anyway. 

Donald Trump was elected once again to be president of the USA. Maybe you are shocked, maybe you’re not, but one thing is clear: the patriarchy and supremacy culture is alive and well. 

Though I am in the northern part of Turtle Island (on the land currently colonized as “Canada”) I, like most of the world, am feeling the impacts of this election. I received a few messages this week from folks eager to hear my thoughts as someone “on the front lines of decolonization” as one friend said. 

Before I could string any sensible thoughts together, I honestly had to disconnect from my phone and soc...

Decolonization. One of the most widely debated, emotionally charged words that often leaves people feeling either confused, triggered, intrigued or all of the above. 

So what exactly does decolonization even mean and why is this word such a hot topic?

Let me start by saying that a lot of people have a lot of varying definitions and mine is just one opinion. I’ll share how I view decolonization specifically in my work as a communicator, writer, speaker, and mentor and cite the educators I’ve learned from as appropriate. 

I’ll be honest… I wonder every single day if ‘decolonization’ is truly the right word for the work that I do.

I’m well aware of the critics that warn “decolonization is not a metaphor” especially highlighted by the article of the same name by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang. Perhaps it’s reconciliation and relationship building that I am doing, not ‘decolonization’. 

But until I have a better way to succinctly describe my mission, I’ll do my best to honour the weight an...