CUPE BC sponsors DTES festival for National Aboriginal Day

VANCOUVER—A four-day celebration of aboriginal culture and communities in the Downtown Eastside—culminating in National Aboriginal Day on June 21—promises to be an empowering event for the Lower Mainland’s First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples and an eye-opener for the non-native population, says a member of CUPE BC’s aboriginal working group.

CUPE 951 member Dale Whitford, co-organizer of the events at Oppenheimer Park (440 Powell Street), says the June 18-21 festival, partly sponsored by CUPE BC, will be especially poignant for aboriginal people as it is being organized entirely from within the community.

“There’s been a lot of interest,” he says. “For native people who will be there, it’s important for us to know who we are and who we have been, and this event is a way to remind us of that.”

The festival theme is “healing”, which should have powerful symbolic resonance in the Downtown Eastside.

“A lot of what is seen in that neighbourhood is the social difficulties,” says Whitford, “but this festival tells a far different story. It’s a story that resonates far more for aboriginal people than what’s shown in the media. It will show that the drum is important to us, that the elder is important to us, and that territory—land and resources—is important to us.”

Each day of the festival will feature a sunrise ceremony led by an elder, in recognition that the event is being held on Musqueam territory. There will be children’s activities, traditional storytelling, a pow wow, a neighbourhood smudge ceremony and a daily feast.

The cultural program on June 21st will feature traditional and contemporary performances from various artists including M’Girl, Arlette Alcock, the Indian Time Drum Group, Harmony of Nations and the Hobbema School of Rock.

Whitford says that holding the event in the Downtown Eastside—rather than a location that’s distant from aboriginal culture—sends a strong message of support.

“It’s a way for us in CUPE and for native groups to carry our message into the community—to bring it to the people in the heart of the community,” he explains. “M’Girl and Arlette were grateful to be invited, because the fact there’s a large aboriginal population where they’ll be performing was very appealing.”

More to the point, says Whitford, the way the festival was conceived guarantees that important cultural and traditional details will not be missed.

“There’s a certain way that the tee pee must go up and a sunrise event be held,” he says. “Because the festival is being planned and organized by people in the native community, non-natives who attend the event will gain a greater understanding of the history of different places where they live, and a deeper awareness and sense of perspective about how native people see the world around them.

The final day of the festival will coincide with other National Aboriginal Day events held throughout the country.

“It’s part of the wider recognition of the important place in the history of Canada that aboriginal people have had and continue to have,” says Whitford.

“This is a chance to bring this out into the open and, if just for a day, bring alive that whole other side that people don’t see. When I go into a meeting, people are very enthusiastic about what they can do to help. They want to know: ‘How can we bring something that is very real for us out into the community that shows we are far more than an under-represented image?’”

Whitford adds that he’s grateful to CUPE BC for sponsoring events like the festival, and for standing up for aboriginal rights in general.

World Poetry Celebrates First Nations
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Rooms
Please join us as we celebrate First Nations, including a memorial tribute to Vera Manuel, a Secwepemc-Ktunaxa playwright, poet, storyteller and healer. (Admission is free. Seating is limited)
Date: Monday Jun 21, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department 604-331-4044

City of Vancouver - June 22nd, 12.45 pm 3rd floor
By invitation - for Aboriginal CUPE 391 members.  Please let me know if you wish to attend.  I am bringing 2 members at the time of writing this.

Alex

Afterword: great event!. Brought my friend Rita from Acquisitions and she met her instructor from twenty years ago. 

There are varying notions on what the Library Board does and its areas of responsibility.  Who is the Employer?  What is our Management’s role in delivering policy?  The following item was lifted from the BCLTA Spring newsletter 2010.  It helps to clarify some of our questions.

THE DEFINITION OF A BOARD
“A board is an organized group of people with the authority collectively to control and foster an institution that is usuallyadministered by a qualified executive and staff.” - Cyril O. Houle
“Governing is about setting the course and directing the progress.” - Ginette Johnstone

• The purpose of a board is to represent and balance member or stakeholder interests. Standing in for those to whom the organization belongs, boards must decide and act as their constituents would, if they had the time, energy, experience, and knowledge to do so on their own behalf.
• Simply put, the board governs on behalf of persons who are not seated at the board table.
• Strictly speaking, a board exists only when it is meeting. Individually, they are members of the board, but collectively, in a properly called meeting, they become the board of directors. The board’s decision-making ability lies in its group structure.
• Boards are where the buck stops. Although ultimately responsible for their organizations, boards are part-time and do not run the day- to-day operations.  As a consequence, boards must retain, direct, and oversee, professional management.
• Boards are the owners’ agents.
• Management is the board’s agent.
• Collectively, the board of directors is the legal entity responsible as a group, for the proper conduct of the organization’s affairs.
• The board provides leadership and direction to the organization.  The board of directors is charged with achieving the delicate balance between acting on direction from the membership, who are the ultimate decision makers, and providing the leadership necessary to move the organization forward.

In its attempt to meet the needs of the membership, the board will conduct appropriate research, consult the members and think through the results of their actions.
It is important to keep in mind that:

• The Board of Directors collectively reports to the Membership
• The Executive Director reports to the Board
• The Staff report to the Executive Director Committees may report to either the Membership or the Board

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - THE FOCUS
The Board(Governance)
Leadership/Vision/Strategic
Establish policy Implement policy
Issues affecting the whole organization I
Doing the right thing
Long term

The Executive Director (City Librarian) (Management)
Management/Operational
Implement & adhere to board Implement operations in process policies compliance with board policy
Issues affecting individuals
Doing things right
Day-to-day

BCLTA’s PARLIAMENTARY CORNER
John F. Noonan, PRP, ASP, CGA

in solidarity

Alex

CUPE 391 has bought two tickets for members - first two e-mails received in my CUPE 391 email box will receive either the pair or a free ticket.  Member who have attended this dinner and dance attest that it is fabulous fun with great food, music and ambiance - the complete package.

Saturday, June 12th, Doors at 5:30pm at the Maritime Labour Centre (1880 Triumph St. @ Victoria).

You may want to purchase a ticket.  CoDev’s annual dinner has sold-out in recent years. No surprise with a great food, good friends, fantastic entertainment and a silent auction full of treasures! Don’t miss your chance to get tickets!
Tickets available at the CoDev offices.  260-2747 East Hastings 604.708.1495 or codev@codev.org

This special event will be hosted by Charlie Demers.  We are also honoured to be joined for the evening by Maria Luisa Regalado from CoDev’s partner CODEMUH (Honduran Women’s Collective).

All proceeds support 25 years of CoDev’s work in building Canadian-Latin American solidarity. So save the date, invite your friends.

Can’t attend the dinner but still want to hear Maria Luisa speak?  Join us on Mon, June 14th at El Barrio to hear her share her experiences.
El Barrio Restaurante Latino
2270 East Hasting St.
Vancouver, BC V5L1V4
Tel: (604) 569-2220

Latin American cuisine with a strong focus on regional Mexican dishes; with local art showings and showcasing musical talent. Reflecting the diversity of the east side BARRIO. (neighborhood) Music, Art, Drag and Food.

We received an urgent appeal regarding Bill C-391:  the legislation proposing the removal of long guns from the national gun registry.  The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is looking for prominent progressive Canadian women to sign on – their goal is to collect at least 391 names/organizations by the end of the week and to deliver the letter to Jack before any vote.
The Union received the following letter from BC Federation of Labour today June 3, 2010.  The Canadian Labour Congress would like women of organisations to sign on to a letter to Jack Layton Leader of the
Attached please find the open letter to Jack Layton regarding Bill C-391.  I will send the letter as an attachment through your CUPE 391 e-mail address.  This bill does seem to have our number.

The following note is from Angela Schira, Secretary-Treasurer of BC Fed

Please let the CLC know by Friday June 4th if you and other women in your organization are willing to sign on to this letter.  Please send details of your support with names to
nadani@clc-ctc.ca.  Organizations will be included for identification purposes only, and the letter will not be on letterhead.

Please feel free to reach out to women involved in any of your community partners as well.

Thanks.

Angela Schira
Secretary-Treasurer

B.C. Federation of Labour
200 - 5118 Joyce Street
Vancouver, BC V5R 4H1

Tel:  604-430-1421
Fax: 604-430-5917