Blood Tribe Administration sign in Standoff, file photo. (Image: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Blood Tribe study aims to tackle racism against Indigenous peoples

Sep 3, 2022 | 4:50 PM

STANDOFF, AB – A study exploring Indigenous-targeted racism and recommendations for how to combat it has been released.

The study, “Addressing Racism in the Kainai Area,” was conducted by Dr. Gabrielle Lindstrom, a member of the Kainai community and a humanities professor at Mount Royal University.

A media release from the Blood Tribe Chief and Council (BTCC) states that there have been numerous incidents of blatant racism directed at local Indigenous peoples in recent years.

Because of these incidents, Collin May, Chief of the Alberta Human Rights Commission and Tribunals, says this type of research is important, not only to the Blood Tribe but to Indigenous communities everywhere.

“This was an important project led by the Blood Tribe that not only highlights the prevalence of discrimination and racism faced by Indigenous people in Alberta, but also offers valuable recommendations to address these issues,” says May. “The Commission will continue working with the Nation, through our Indigenous Human Rights Strategy, to reduce systemic racism in the province.”Lindstrom’s research was conducted over a two-year period and included consultations with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants in Southern Alberta.

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The study examined the effects of racism on members of the Blood Tribe as well as the perspectives and attitudes of the local non-Indigenous community.

“The objectives of the study are to create awareness, acknowledgment and understanding of the effects of racism; provide the capacity for our people to address racism, empower allies and advocate to combat racism,” says the BTCC.

The study found that 95 per cent of survey respondents in the Kainai community experienced or are worried about experiencing racial discrimination to some degree throughout their childhood.

“Some respondents reported daily encounters with racism while looking for employment and housing, on-the-job racial discrimination, negligent care in the healthcare system, feeling unprotected and discriminated against by the police, especially in the town of Cardston, and general feelings of being unsafe, dehumanized and stereotypes in the city of Lethbridge and surrounding towns,” reads a portion of the study’s findings.

Many of the non-Indigenous participants were chosen on the basis of their leadership roles in their communities and the insights they could bring to the study.

Those who are not Indigenous told researchers that they want to build positive relationships with Kainai and provided a deep understanding of how racism is or is not being addressed by their local governments, the education system, and law enforcement.

“The findings also highlighted the need for creating social and system conditions in southern Alberta so Kainai can feel a sense of belonging and respect,” says Lindstrom in her research.

Three recommendations were made in the report:

• Reframing definitions in ways that will change conversations and practices to transform understandings of roles and relationships within the Indigenous/Settler context. This includes reframing the understanding of allyship and how racism is defined.
• Creating an anti-racism coalition in partnership with surrounding communities.
• Exploring strategies that will build Kainai capacities to withstand racism.

The BTCC is working on a plan to implement the recommendations and will reach out to the public for input soon.

The full report can be read on the Blood Tribe’s website.