Stay calm, be brave and watch for the signs.
This week, one of my heroes Murray Sinclair, “the conscious of Canada died”. Sinclair represents the opposite of many world leaders today. From the courthouse to the Senate, he challenged racism, championed Indigenous rights and sought reconciliation. He stood for truth and justice to the end. He never gave up hope.
The Globe and Mail
Mr. Sinclair dedicated himself to law and justice, charting a collision course with some of Canada’s most sacred institutions, including his grandmother’s church, which was shaken to its Vatican foundations by the Sinclair-led Truth and Reconciliation Commission, completed in 2015.
A lawyer, judge, commissioner, senator and fourth-degree chief of the Midewiwin Society, keepers of traditional Anishinaabe knowledge and values, Mr. Sinclair had an impact and influence that transcended any formal title. He led four landmark inquiries that yielded sweeping overhauls of policing, medicine, law and Crown-Indigenous relations. The University of Manitoba, his alma mater, called Mr. Sinclair an Elder-in-residence. Canada could very well have done the same.
In the face of today’s US election results, I remind myself about Sinclair’s courage, heart and wisdom. I repeat a favourite mantra from indigenous author Tom King’s comedy radio show, The Dead Dog Café: “Stay calm, be brave and watch for the signs.”
Murray Sinclair showed us there is no reconciliation without truth. His life is a reminder that there are extraordinary, courageous and wise leaders in the world. They call us to continue to have hope for reconciliation, healing and understanding. As Jane Goodall says, what other option is there?
Hold fast to hope, no matter what is going on around you. Chose love, peace and understanding, Stay calm, be brave and watch for the signs.