The Industrial Areas Foundation, the parent organization of the Spokane Alliance, has been working on a new project: Wrestling With the Truth of Colonization. Participants include Native Americans, Indigenous/First Nations Canadians, Aboriginal Australians and Maori New Zealanders.

The program is being structured to involve thousands of members of churches, labor unions, health care organizations and other community groups through a 5-session, 10-hour process to initiate new relationships and action with indigenous people. It will take real work to build those relationships, the former Chief of the Tsuut’ina Nation in Alberta recently told the Calgary Alliance .

The Spokane Alliance is launching an offshoot of this program to build relationships with indigenous-led organizations in our area. The ultimate goal is to create a curriculum that has a local context and is led by indigenous leaders.

Questions? Contact Karen Dorn Steele at steele.karend@gmail.com.