In Memory of Wolverine

Love, respect, hope, strength, and a deep thirst for freedom and justice flowed through Wolverine’s Memorial held a few days after the 84-year-old warrior released his spirit on March 22nd, World Water Day. Water was one sacred resource he fought for until the end of his days, leaving the community a legacy to continue to defend.Wolverine also fought to defend Indigenous territory. In December 2015 he sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (printed in the last Volcano) demanding a federal public inquiry into the Ts’Peten/Gustafsen Lake Standoff (1995), the confrontation between Secwepemc people and RCMP. (…)

Seeking Refuge

originally published in Undoing Border Imperialism

Fear, silence, distrust, isolation, mental distress, poverty, debts, helplessness, sleepless nights, and self-doubt—these are the characteristics of being a refugee in Canada. I am a Mexican writer and journalist, but I could be a Palestinian refugee running from violence and occupation, or a Latin American migrant farmworker who has had to leave her motherland because of starvation-level poverty. My husband and I came in 2008 to Vancouver as refugees after I uncovered corruption in the federal cultural institution in Mexico. I fled harassment, intimidation, and death threats. When I arrived, as is the situation for many refugee claimants, I looked for support through agencies. My husband and I had to wait a long time to get a temporary work permit; it was even harder trying to find a job. We were struggling to adapt to Canadian society, and spent our time volunteering while juggling bureaucratic requirements for immigration and preparing our case. We hired a lawyer who said my evidence was strong enough to meet the strict test in Canada and that I would get protection. But soon I realized how difficult it was; I think I can better describe it as torment. (…)