news | Wednesday October 16, 2013

Video: Bev Sellars Speaking at the University of Victoria, BC

At the University of Victoria in Victoria, B.C., on September 16, Chief Bev Sellars spoke about her life as a residential-school survivor and a long-time advocate for social justice. A video of her full talk has just become available:

Sellars, a UVic alumnus and UBC Faculty of Law graduate, read from her memoir, They Called Me Number One (Talonbooks, 2013) and discussed the lasting effects of residential schools and the paths she and her community have taken to healing.

Several Aboriginal leaders were in attendance, as well as Bev’s mother, who figures in the book. The event was hosted by Wendy Wickwire and sponsored by the Department of History and Indigenous Studies Program. This was the first event on Chief Sellars’s coastal tour. A lunch was given at the Ceremonial Hall of the First Peoples’ House before the talk, and a lively question-and-answer period followed the discussion.

The Coastal Spectator interviewed Sellars after her talk, and the article (available on Meta-Talon) gives a good overview of the event.

They Called Me Number One, which reached #1 on the B.C. Bestsellers list in early October and is celebrating its 22nd week on the list, is available from Talonbooks for $19.95.