by Lisa MacNeil, Courtesy of the MSVU

In her words: Learning from stories told by Indigenous women in NS

Born and raised in scwha, L’sitkuk (known as Bear River First Nation), Nova Scotia, Dr. Sherry Pictou is a strong advocate for Indigenous women in Canada. Sherry began working at the Mount in July 2017 as a professor in the Women’s Studies department, a role to which she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge.

Growing up as a Mi’kmaw woman, Sherry recalls being in her teens and observing the high degree of poverty in her community. She realized there were external (e.g. government) influences affecting her community and she wanted to arm herself with knowledge in the hopes of making positive change.

“I grew up in a time when there was no community-based programming and I wanted to explore how this could be changed. I knew something wasn’t right and I knew enough about general human rights – rights to food and rights to shelter.”

This thirst for knowledge led Sherry to pursue her Bachelor of Arts degree at Saint Mary’s University, with a major in Atlantic Canadian Studies and minor in Political Studies. During her BA program, Sherry recalls having several professors who, for the first time in her life, spoke about Indigenous people in a positive light.

“I was nurtured by some really great professors. Dr. John Reid’s class changed my life. I can remember sitting up in my chair in delight as he taught a course on the history of Atlantic Canada. It ...

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