There is a growing movement to decolonize and uphold the Rights of Indigenous Peoples says award-winning consultant, mother and Gitxsan leader, Marcia Turner, and yet we’re not seeing real change.
It’s time to understand what Indigenous Peoples having been echoing for decades about systems change. In this powerful talk, Marcia draws from her ancestral teachings and shares insights from her career working with Indigenous Peoples to introduce a framework she developed outlining four critical conditions for creating real change. Marcia’s heartfelt, genuine and inspirational talk is a call to action, inviting listeners to reflect on ways to embody the framework in our collective journey for meaningful and lasting change.
Marcia Turner, Tsu’malit is Gitxsan and mother of four grown sons. She is the CEO/Founder of award-winning company Daxgedim Haanak’ Nation Building and works with a diverse range of Indigenous organizations, public agencies, non-profit organizations, governments, and post-secondary institutions in BC. Specializing in systems change, Marcia’s work is deeply rooted in ancestral values and Indigenous rights-based frameworks to equalize Indigenous knowledge systems and amplify Indigenous voices. She’s been invited by governments and various organizations to support Reconciliation strategies, created the Diploma in Indigenous Community Development and Governance, University of Victoria, and is the former Associate Vice-President Indigenous for Vancouver Island University. Marcia holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership, Royal Roads University, and Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, University of Victoria. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
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Video Summary
AI Generated
The speaker introduces \"Key and Plot,\" a framework for genuine decolonization and systems change. Moving beyond superficial policy shifts and performative allyship, the framework emphasizes shifting from the mind to the heart to dismantle white supremacy and systemic racism, ensuring a future where Indigenous peoples are free to be Indigenous.
For those of you who follow me on social media, you will know that I am the queen of selfies.
In addition to posting photos, I also post about Indigenous issues and I'm often asked,
how do I advance reconciliation? How do we decolonize? Where do we start? And before I
begin, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and my language and acknowledge the local
territory.
When I think about reconciliation and decolonization, I think about my four sons.
Each one, my Kwakwala. In their Kwakwala language, Kwakwala means you are my reason
for every breath that I take. I journal every morning, came across an entry where I wrote,
it is my wish that my four sons feel like they belong, that my grandchildren are not
My vision is that we are free to be Indigenous. This is why I do the work that I do. I attended
a meeting about decolonizing education where the six conditions of systems change were introduced.
Essentially, it means looking at things like policy, practice, and mental models. I explained
that those conditions are not enough to create the changes that we need to see.
They are important, but not enough. I was talking about this with several colleagues
who agreed. A colleague said to me, Marcia, we decolonized our hiring policy to attract
more Indigenous people, but the Indigenous employees didn't stay long. And so I spent some
time reflecting on my 30 years of working with Indigenous peoples to create a framework.
Some of you are probably thinking, she doesn't even look 30 years old. While I was creating the
framework, I asked my elders, what word can I use for systems change? They said, in my language,
means one heart. Inherently, it means harmony and unity. And so I created the four Indigenous
conditions for systems change, which are trust, healing, self-determination, and courage.
I created the four conditions because what we're doing is not working.
And Key and Plot is designed to bridge relationships for meaningful and lasting
change. Now some of you may be wondering, what is systems change? By definition,
it means advancing equity by shifting the conditions that hold a problem in place.
In other words, for Indigenous peoples, systems change is dismantling white supremacy.
Having said that, I'm reminded that Indigenous peoples are fierce voices for change.
We've seen this in grassroots movements like Idle No More, in hundreds of court cases,
in commissions and inquiries, and in literature by Indigenous scholars and authors,
all calling for equity and change. In fact, our experiences as Indigenous peoples have been well
documented. And yet here we are, still dealing with systemic racism. This is why Key and Plot is
needed for meaningful and lasting change. Four simple yet intricate conditions, trust, healing,
self-determination, and courage. Key and Plot is designed to shift away from approaches that are
checkboxes, token, and superficial. It's designed to shift away from performative allyship towards
genuine relationships and real. I spent some time walking in the forest to reflect on Key and Plot
and ask myself, what do I want people to know about the four conditions? I would like people
to understand that in the same way that there is no reconciliation without truth, there is no change
without trust. We have a history of broken trust in this country. And many Indigenous
peoples do not trust the system. The ability to build trust is fundamentally important
for systems change. And the same holds true for healing. It's important to understand
that every single system has impacted Indigenous peoples. Every sector, industry,
and institution. I will always remember a story that a colleague shared with me about a First
Nations family who lost a child because of a mistake made by a doctor. The family wanted
a healing circle. Instead, the doctor's lawyer advised him not to go. The family was left sitting
there. Now maybe the doctor didn't know what a healing circle was. He was thinking with his mind,
not with his heart. Key and Plot invites you to shift from your mind to your heart.
This is the essence of decolonization. Examine your relationships with Indigenous peoples
through the lens of our collective history and you will find that we need to heal those
relationships. When it comes to self-determination, there is growing awareness about the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, what many don't know is that
our rights, our inherent rights, are recognized in Section 35 of Canada's Constitution Act.
In these past 30 years, I've had the honour and privilege of witnessing the advancements and
innovation of many Indigenous peoples. This is why we fight for self-determination and change.
Change requires courage. The courage to dismantle white supremacy. To dismantle the systems that
are causing the inequities, injustices, and harms. Courage is stepping forward into that
uncomfortable space to give up the power. Courage is doing the hard work of decolonization.
Embody Key and Plot into your practice and you will find that you create meaningful change.
Embed the four conditions into the system for lasting change. And in doing so, you breathe
life into reconciliation. I invite you to reflect on the four conditions and ask yourself,
what am I doing? What is my organization doing? What is my government doing? I'm doing this for
my four sons and for the generations that come behind. Imagine that I take the four conditions
and put each one in my hand. Trust. Healing. Self-determination. And courage. And I hold
out my hand and say walk with me. Let's do this together. Thank you.
