Empowering voices, honoring heritage, and shaping tomorrow
Bio for Michelle Robinson
Michelle Robinson is Sahtu Dene with a weekly podcast, founded in August 2018, called Native Calgarian. Their monthly public Indigenous book club was established on June 21, 2016. They are a mother, public speaker, and advocate for Indigenous Peoples and for truth and reconciliation, working with all levels of government and community groups.
Episode highlight
Do you have a land acknowledgment for where you live? Michelle Robinson begins the interview with her acknowledgment. She also shares her remarkable life’s tapestry woven through her diverse heritage. From her father’s Mayflower lineage to her mother’s Indigenous roots, Michelle opens up about her identity, advocacy, and the personal challenges she faces, including the experiences of systemic racism and neurodiversity.
Michelle’s rich narrative extends to her professional achievements; she’s not just a voice but an active force in anti-racism and Indigenous education. The episode unfolds her relentless pursuit of truth and reconciliation, both in her community and through her podcast. She invites listeners to step outside their comfort zones, exploring diverse cultural worlds and genres while advocating for reconciliation and the importance of honoring lost Indigenous voices.
Listen to learn more.
Links
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nativecalgarian
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@native_calgarian?_t=8YpwkB838QI&_r=1
- Mastodon: https://ohai.social/@nativeCalgarian
- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@nativecalgarianpodcast
Quotes
- “The moment you think you understand something is the moment you meet a new person that explains it in a different way that makes you reconsider how you look at it.”
- “Wherever you’re listening from, there is a reconciliation committee somewhere. Be a part of that. Make one in your work, make one in your sports club, whatever that looks like. So that way, we can all be working towards reconciliation together.”
Takeaways
Childhood
Michelle identifies as Sahtu Dene while noting her Canadian government-issued status as Yellowknife’s Dene First Nation. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging her Indigenous identity, rooted in her mother’s side, while also recognizing her father’s lineage, which ties her to early American settlers, including the Mayflower and the American Revolution. This dual heritage gives her a unique perspective, blending the history of settlers with her Indigenous roots.
Michelle’s maternal grandmother endured residential school in Fort Providence before moving to Yellowknife. Her mother eventually attended SAIT in Calgary. After meeting Michelle’s father, a Christian man, they married and had Michelle in 1977. Although her parents later divorced, she has two brothers—one full and one half-brother from her stepmother, an Austrian immigrant. Michelle reflects on witnessing anti-immigration racism through her stepmother’s experiences. She humorously refers to herself as a “native Calgarian” to reclaim the term from settlers.
Influential Groups
Michelle grew up in a challenging, anti-Indigenous environment. Raised by her father and his white family, who held racist views about Indigenous people, she struggled with her self-esteem. However, one of her uncles stood up for Indigenous people during family gatherings, helping her feel proud of her heritage. Over time, as Michelle learned more about Indigenous culture and the policies imposed on her people, her pride grew, empowering her to reclaim her identity.
Now, Michelle teaches her daughter about their culture in a way that avoids the shame and trauma she experienced. Her daughter learns through positive experiences, such as beading and engaging with elders, supported by schools that have improved in integrating Indigenous knowledge. Meanwhile, Michelle continues to unlearn white supremacy and reject the myths of Canada as solely a peaceful, human-rights-focused nation. She is firmly anti-racist.
Michelle is committed to advocating for solutions that honor the voices of Indigenous elders and families and improving the experiences of birthing women and parents. Her mission is shaped by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S). She feels a duty to uphold their calls to action and justice, recognizing the courage of those who shared their stories.
In addition to these reports, Michelle supports the National Indigenous Economic Strategy as a vital resource for actionable solutions. She emphasizes the importance of addressing systemic issues, including ensuring positive birthing experiences for women, as part of honoring Indigenous families and their well-being. Michelle also highlights the moral obligation to honor lives lost to colonial policies, particularly through residential schools, and believes September 30th should hold the same reverence as Remembrance Day for its focus on remembrance and respect for those lives.
Personality and Temperaments
Michelle, recently diagnosed with ADHD, reflects on how traits like being outspoken and strong-willed have shaped her. Whether influenced by ADHD, a sense of injustice, or childhood trauma, she has always expressed herself strongly, though she now strives to approach discussions with greater humility. Listening to diverse perspectives, especially on injustice, oppression, and healing, has become essential to her lifelong healing journey. She values coming from a “good place” in her communication, even when addressing uncomfortable truths.
Michelle discusses settler fragility, noting that anti-Indigenous bias extends beyond European settlers to multicultural communities influenced by colonial misinformation. She emphasizes equity, rooted in the spiritual intent of treaties, which were agreements of mutual respect and partnership. Michelle hopes Canadians will learn about their roles as treaty partners, fostering a future where both Indigenous and settler communities honor these obligations.
Cultural Epiphanies
Michelle shares her traumatic experience giving birth to her daughter, highlighting how systemic racism influenced her treatment. Despite being a professional who contributed to society, hospital staff made harmful assumptions based on her Indian Act status card. This stereotyping disregarded her identity and subjected her to discrimination, reflecting the broader issue of Indigenous women facing inequitable and often harmful treatment in healthcare.
Michelle had believed, as her white family assured her, that she would be treated differently and fairly. However, their lack of understanding of systemic racism contributed to her unpreparedness for the bias she encountered. Even with support from a doula and her husband, she was not treated equally to settler mothers, revealing the pervasive nature of anti-Indigenous bias in medical settings.
What Brings Out the Best in Michelle?
Michelle’s favorite part of her work is honoring future generations. She hopes her words and efforts positively impact her daughter and the world they will inherit. She also strives to honor her ancestors, including her late grandmother and her mother, who is facing health challenges. Aware of the privilege of having a voice when her predecessors did not, Michelle approaches her advocacy with gratitude, recognizing the opportunity to speak and create change.
Soapbox Moment
Michelle encourages people to broaden their perspectives by engaging with diverse voices through books, podcasts, and documentaries, even if it’s just once a year. She suggests exploring works not only from Indigenous creators but also from Black, multicultural, immigrant, or gendered perspectives. For those short on time, she recommends listening during commutes to learn something new.
She also emphasizes that marginalized communities are more than their trauma, highlighting their contributions to music, science, and academia. For example, Indigenous and Black science fiction offer engaging and enriching content. Michelle shares her love for science fiction, particularly Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, and encourages others to find what inspires and fills their lives while treating each other with respect.
Extro:
Having grown up in Canada with her white father, Michelle Robinson believed that her professional accomplishments and confident presentation skills would shield her from the racist attitudes of others towards Indigenous people. Yet when she entered the hospital in labour with her daughter, the hurtful, dismissive treatment she experienced from the moment she showed her Indian Status card shocked and surprised her. This pivotal moment later caused her to begin a personal journey of investigating the history of her people, healing her own wounds, and launched her work as an indigenous rights activist. Michelle feels belonging within all three peoples who contributed to her existence in this world and offers her unique gifts to the world with cultural pride and knowledge.
