GSA Indigenous Solidarity Statement

GSA Indigenous Solidarity Statement

The Graduate Student Association would like to extend its sincerest condolences to Indigenous students and communities in the wake of the horrifying, though unsurprising, discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of the Kamloops residential school as well as the 751 and 182 unmarked graves that were discovered in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, respectively. From physical and sexual abuse to human experimentation, residential schools unleashed the most barbaric violence against Indigenous children, sponsored by the settler-colonial state of Canada. Therefore, contrary to Prime Minister Trudeau’s claim that the operation of residential schools, forced abduction of Indigenous children from their parents, and the abuses and murders that occurred with the school grounds, constituted a “dark and shameful chapter” of Canadian history, we recognize that Canada was established through the perpetration of genocide against the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. To this day, Canada continues to ethnically cleanse, kill, and oppress Indigenous peoples, as by denying them access to clean water and adequate healthcare, and disproportionately incarcerating them.

The GSA echoes recent calls upon the Canadian government to conduct a full investigation of former residential school grounds, and to cease its pursuit of current court litigations against Indigenous communities. We advocate for the right of Indigenous communities to pursue avenues towards self-governance and call upon federal and provincial governments to cease their obstructionist tactics in preventing attempts for Indigenous communities to maintain their ways of life in their ancestral lands. Further, we echo the calls of the McMaster Student Union on McMaster University to fire Glenn De Caire and remove police from our campus, due to their racist history, and to condemn Canadian settler-colonialism.

Support services can be contacted at:

Indigenous Wellness Counsellor, Indigenous Student Services (nusseya@mcmaster.ca) – for students

Elder-in-Residence, Indigenous Student Services (indigsc@mcmaster.ca)

Hope for Wellness Help Line, 1-855-242-3310 or connect to the online chat at hopeforwellness.ca

Other resources include:

Hamilton Regional Indian Centre

Legacy of Hope Foundation

Indian Residential School Survivor Society

Native Women’s Association of Canada

Sign the Petition calling for additional searches of Canadian Residential School grounds and surrounding areas.

Sign the petition calling for a National Day of Mourning

Official Statement on Palestine

Official Statement on Palestine

McMaster GSA would like to extend its utmost solidarity with the Palestinian people, who have been collectively resisting Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid since 1948. In May 2021, Israel’s violence against Palestinians intensified, with violence and ethnic cleansing in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian lands of Sheikh Jarrah and the West Bank, heavy bombardment of the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, and attacks on worshippers and the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. In the Gaza Strip alone, Israel killed at least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded 1,910. Israel’s genocidal actions are reminiscent of those of Canada and other settler-colonial regimes. Thus, we call for the dismantlement of settler-colonialism everywhere it exists. Israel must provide equal rights to Palestinians, dismantle its apartheid wall, allow Palestinian refugees to return, in compliance with UN Resolution 194, and end its illegal occupation and colonization of Palestinian land. We welcome our members’ solidarity and support for the Palestinian cause.

Below are some recommended books to learn more about the Palestinian plight:

Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom (Steven Salaita)

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 (Rashid Khalidi)

Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History (Nur Masalha)

The Question of Palestine (Edward W. Said)

The Battle for Justice in Palestine (Ali Abunimah)

Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Noura Erakat)

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (Ilan Pappe)

Here are some accounts you can follow:

@mcmastersphr @psc_yorku @cjpmeofficial @ijvcanada @theimeu @subhi.taha @eye.on.palestine @palestinianyouthmovement @mohammedelkurd @nouraerakat

McMaster University Support Services:

Empower me

Student Wellness Center

“Places to Fall in Love with” Contest

"Places to Fall in Love with" Contest

The GSA is delighted to launch the “Place to Fall in Love with” initiative to introduce the McMaster community to various breathtaking places from across the globe where our multi-cultural graduate students came from or live(d). This will show the beautiful aspects of our diversity and help build a stronger McMaster community!

Overview
All McMaster grad students are welcome to send us a photo and a brief description of a place they love or that has a special meaning for them. The photos will be shared with the entire McMaster graduate community in our weekly GSA emails and social media. At the end of every month, each featured photo will be entered into a contest on the weekly GSA email and social media that will last for three days. The photo with the most votes will win a $25 gift card. Don’t forget to vote for your favourite photos and share them with your friends!”

General guidelines:
1. New photo submissions are due on Wednesdays before 11:59 PM in order to be selected for the Friday weekly email.
2. The photo submissions should include three parts: 1) Photo; 2) Short Description; and3) Google Maps Street View/Location.
3. The photo submissions will be shared in the GSA email and social media weekly on a “first come, first served basis”.
4. Preferences will be given to students who have not previously had a featured photo. More details in the sign-up form!

Sign-up form here (https://forms.office.com/r/41UED55ang)

Questions? Please contact the GSA VP-External at (gsavpext@mcmaster.ca)