JUSTICE AND BELONGING ADVOCACY

CRFAIR is commitment to centering justice and belonging in their work. As one of their steps in doing this, CRFAIR is providing space for a Justice and Belonging advocate to collaborate with CRFAIR in meaningful ways to do work in a good way.

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My name is Lajah Warren and I will be working with CRFAIR as the Justice and Belonging Advocate. To see my full bio and my work within our Youth programming, click here. I approach this work from a decolonial, anti-oppressive, feminist, multicultural, strength-based, social justice, and collaboration-based approach. 

I am a cis-gender, Indigenous, mixed-cultural identifying, queer, able-bodied, women living on Lək̓ʷəŋən territory, which I am connected to on my papas side. See my full bio for a full description of my family connections. I am very privileged to have an education based on community development, which plays a heavy role in my work. 

As you ask what this role even means, let me break it down...

JUSTICE= I will work to ensure all levels of work within CRFAIR, from our internal work, program design, outreach, etc., is JUST for all  community members. Justice work is not an option, it is essential work that we need to urgently and constantly reflect on.

BELONGING= Do our programs go past including everyone? Do people who participate in our projects feel like they belong? What does that even mean to communities? My role will be attempting to respond to these questions and make sure that people feel safe, heard, respected, and honored in our programs. I will continuously hold space for your voice and hold myself accountable to do this work.

ADVOCATE= My role will go beyond consulting. I will advocate for your voices with any concerns you or myself put forward. In this role, I will try to take all your feedback from a non-biased perspective and work with CRFAIR to create meaningful change.

If you engage in any way with CRFAIR and have any feedback on how we can foster justice and belonging, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! This may mean you participated in our groups, programs, conferences, etc., and had issues or ideas about how we can do better. If you have any feedback for how I can do my job better, I encourage that feedback as well.

CRFAIR promotes healthy and sustainable food systems.  This considers our relationships with each other, and the land and waters of this region.  We endeavour to honour the land and its treaties by strengthening our relationship and responsibilities to them. We live and work on unceded Coast Salish Territories*, specifically of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees) and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) Nations here in the core area, the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations {W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), SȾÁUTW̱,(Tsawout) W̱SIKEM (Tseycum)} out on the Saanich Peninsula and Gulf Islands, to the west Sc'ianew (Beecher Bay), T’Sou-ke, and Pacheedaht, and MÁLEXEȽ (Malahat) and Pune’laxutth’ (Penelekut) Nations.

The presence of settlers (non-Indigenous peoples who live on these lands) is not neutral; it has had and continues to have devastating impacts on many aspects of life for Indigenous peoples. Many of our practices, including the seeds we plant, the ways we educate, and our methods of growing food came to these lands through the ongoing process of colonialism. Settler colonialism has suppressed local well-being by harming Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ food systems, whether they be land-based or of the sky and sea. We hold this understanding in our interactions and engagements with this land and its people. 

There is important work being done by many nations and allies to ensure the continued thriving of these food systems, communities, and knowledge systems. Those of us who are settlers need to recognize that our knowledge and way of doing things may not be the priority as we work towards food security for everyone in this region.

* The term Coast Salish is used to encompass a number of Indigenous peoples, including Esquimalt, Hul’qumi’num, Klahoose, Lekwungen, MALAXEt, Musqueam, OStlq’emeylem, Pentlatch, Scia’new (Beecher Bay), Sliammon, Shishalh, Skxwú7mesh-ulh Úxwumixw, Stó:lo, Straits, Tsleil-Waututh, T’Sou-ke, W̱SÁNEĆ, and Xwemalhkwu.