Genesis House is teaming up with the Pembina Valley Truth and Action Working Group for a screening of an documentary next week.
All are invited to the St. Paul’s United Church in Morden on Thursday, Jan. 22 to watch Sugarcane, which paints a portrait of one Indigenous community’s response during an investigation into the abuses that occurred in Canada’s residential school system.
The film screening, which begins at 7 p.m., will be followed by a time of discussion starting at 8:45 p.m.
“Christine Thompson—she’s our cultural support worker here at Genesis House—will lead a discussion afterwards if people have any questions or comments about the film—that’s my favourite part of it,” noted Sophie Gerbrandt, who is the resource and community coordinator for the women’s shelter. “It’s a neat thing to come together and watch it as a community and hear what other people take away from the experience.”
Genesis House and TAWG have hosted several similar events in recent years, to good response.
“It’s been a great way to get people to come and engage in conversation,” said Gerbrandt.
For Genesis House, these and similar community events surrounding the topic of truth and reconciliation are a key part of their work supporting the victims of domestic violence across southern Manitoba.
“We know that Indigenous women are disproportionately impacted by abuse and violence, both by their partners but also on a societal level,” Gerbrandt said. “So this is part of our ongoing commitment towards recognizing that.
“We’ve loved working with TAWG; it’s great to work with other organizations and agencies within our community who are already doing this hard work.”
Admission is free and no registration is needed to attend.
The film is rated R due to the disturbing nature of the abuses generations of children suffered at the residential schools, but Gerbrandt noted that parents are welcome to bring their children if they feel they are old enough to handle a discussion about the impact of this dark chapter of Canadian history.
“And if you’ve never come to a TAWG event before, it’s a welcoming group,” she added.
