Warren Lewis says knowing Indigenous history leads to more empathy
Educator Warren Lewis hopes his upcoming video series on Indigenous history will encourage non-Indigenous people to "move the needle" on reconciliation.
Lewis, who is originally from the Wikwemikong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island and now lives in North Bay, is launching an educational video series called Debwewin, or My Truth.
"I like to go through a lot of what I consider to be the most important, impactful kind of events throughout history that have really affected Indigenous peoples in a negative way," he said.
Those topics include the Doctrine of Discovery, the Indian Act, reserves, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, the Millennium Scoop and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
"It's important for me to talk about all of these things within the videos and the training because so many Canadians were not educated on this history," he said.
Learners who take the course will be able to watch the video at their own pace. Lewis said the videos will also be paired with readings and quizzes to help students take in all the information.
He said he'll encourage businesses and organizations to offer the training to their employees. Once 80 per cent of a company's employees take the course, the organization will get a "reconciliation partner" designation seal.
Lewis said it's especially important for young people to learn Indigenous history, and he feels more of that history should be part of the school curriculum.
"Think of what it would mean if one generation of kids really understands all of the historical events and what has happened to Indigenous peoples and how that translates to what is currently happening," he said.
"That is a really exciting idea, to imagine what that generation would bring to Indigenous peoples."
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