This above quote stuck with me as I watched the Equity in Action Project video:

The systemic barriers beyond disability that exist for our indigenous students are tremendous.  You don't have to dig too deep to realize that our Canadian educational system has repeatedly missed the mark on supporting, honouring, welcoming and even recognizing our First People.  From the Hawthorne Report (1967)  which stated 94% of aboriginal students dropped out of school to the Sullivan Report (1988), on to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People (1996) and then the BC Auditor General Report (2015) the thread remains the same... some people are in and some are not.

The need to 'hold the mirror up' is critical.  The Equity in Action Project video was embedded with action and provocation at the same time.  Asking educational teams to do an equity scan is an important first step as we delve into the landscape of inclusion and exclusion.  The reality is that in order to talk about inclusion, you have to explore the territories of exclusion first.   What are the systemic barriers beyond disability?  What is the distribution of power?  Who makes the decisions about who is included and who is not?  These are difficult, vulnerable and necessary questions to ask of ourselves and of each other.  We have to go micro, into our own beliefs, values and practices in order to actualize the macro.

Agnes Casgrain from SD82 highlighted this beautifully by saying we need to recognize "the little fireworks here and there".  Those small, authentic sparks will illuminate and inspire systemic change. Professional indifference isn't an option and leading a system where own our vulnerabilities are recognized as strengths will stoke the proverbial fires of change needed on the journey ahead.