On Friday, May 30, USJE wrapped up the last half day of USJE’s National Equity conference.
Equity Committee member Joe Brathwaite was invited to highlight his participation on behalf of USJE in some Black History Month activities in Ottawa on Parliament Hill. Owing to a strong relationship with former Member of Parliament Pam Damoff, USJE has had the opportunity to be part of annual Black History celebrations organized by senior leaders of the federal Government.
Subsequently, all members of the Committee were invited to briefly share their experience of the Equity Conference. USJE President David Neufeld also provided a short closing address which reflected on the impressive efforts of the Committee, staff and all invited speakers who brought the week’s proceedings together.
The Conference’s final keynote address was delivered by Northern Saskatchewan activist Layten Byhette. Byhette was returning to the stage without the attributes of his drag persona, Chelazon Leroux. Chelazon was invited to perform at USJE’s evening gala on Thursday night, and introduced many USJE delegates to the entertainment and educational value of drag.
During Layten’s keynote, they highlighted how they came to identify as two-spirited, and how complex and nuanced the two-spirited identity is across Indigenous cultures.
Their talk ultimately focused on a brilliant reflection on Indigenous, two-spirited and queer identity issues. Leyton described the evolution of gender, sexuality and identity as a spiral, and in constant evolution.
It was a privilege to have Leyton take the time to share their experience with such candour and honesty. It was a perfect end to a rich and stimulating week of presentations and dialogue. Leyton’s address, among others, is available on USJE’s social media channels as part of our commitment to broadcasting elements of the conference, where speakers consented to livestreaming.
USJE thanks all the delegates who joined us in Halifax for their time and energy to contribute to USJE’s ongoing commitment to learning, advocacy and action on EDI. We look forward to the next conference!