I would like to acknowledge the land of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations that I currently live on as well as the lands of the WSANEC peoples where I grew up. Indigenous peoples have been stewarding this land long before settlers arrived and I am grateful for their stewardship of the lands both past and present. My heritage is primarily Irish and English with Cherokee through my mothers lineage. I am committed to not only acknowledging the lands on which we live, but to also take action in changing the colonial systems that continue to harm Indigenous peoples and communities. As an educator, it is my job to first listen and learn from Indigenous peoples, and then to encourage my fellow educators and my students to take action and speak up against social injustices that continue.