An Evening with Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel & Sean Carleton (When the Pine Needles Fall)
October 30, 2024
Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, Sean Carleton, and Kiera Ladner

On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR) and McNally Robinson Booksellers hosted Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel and Dr. Sean Carleton for a special evening to discuss their new book, When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance (Between the Lines). The event was hosted by CHRR Research Affiliate Dr. Kiera Ladner.
On When the Pine Needles Fall:
There have been many things written about Canada’s violent siege of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke in the summer of 1990, but When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance is the first book from the perspective of Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, who was the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) spokesperson during the siege. When the Pine Needles Fall, written in a conversational style by Gabriel with historian Sean Carleton, offers an intimate look at Gabriel’s life leading up to the 1990 siege, her experiences as spokesperson for her community, and her work since then as an Indigenous land defender, human rights activist, and feminist leader. Gabriel’s hopes for a decolonial future make clear why protecting Indigenous homelands is vital not only for the survival of Indigenous peoples, but for all who live on this planet.

Some panels from Pride in Health will be available to an online audience. However, we will not be taking questions from the online audience. Thank you for understanding, and we hope that you enjoy the conference.
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Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
The Centre for Human Rights Research alongside Dr. Melanie Murchison (Sociology), University of Manitoba is pleased to host Dr. Mandi Gray (Trent University) for a discussion and book signingtitled “Suing for Silence: Sexual Violence and Defamation Law.”
Dr. Mandi Gray is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Trent University and an anti-violence activist. She is regularly featured in Canadian media on issues pertaining to sexual violence, including in the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Toronto Life, and on the CBC.
The lecture will take place on Thursday, November 7th at 6:30 pm at 108 St. John’s College, University of Manitoba. For information on getting to the University of Manitoba, please see: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here
This event is supported in part by the University of Manitoba Strategic Initiatives Support Fund.
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
The Centre for Human Rights Research alongside Dr. Melanie Murchison (Sociology), University of Manitoba is pleased to host Dr. Mandi Gray (Trent University) for a lecture titled “The Intersections of Injustice between Civil and Criminal Law in cases of Gender-based Violence.”
Dr. Mandi Gray is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Trent University and an anti-violence activist. She is regularly featured in Canadian media on issues pertaining to sexual violence, including in the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Toronto Life, and on the CBC.
The lecture will take place on Friday, November 8th at 10:30 am at 322 St. Paul’s College, University of Manitoba. For information on getting to the University of Manitoba, please see: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here
This event is supported in part by the University of Manitoba Strategic Initiatives Support Fund.
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
A Resource Guide on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Gender Diverse People in Canada
A Resource Guide on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Gender Diverse People in Canada
October 15, 2024
Angela Ciceron

Trigger Warning: The content in this resource guide may be difficult and/or triggering. If you or someone you know needs emotional assistance related to this topic or the information in this article, help is available 24/7 through the MMIWG Support Line, 1-866-413-6649.
In May 2024, the Centre for Human Rights Research and Indigenous Engagement and Communications hosted Cambria Harris in honour of Red Dress Day. This resource guide was created to provide a starting point for people seeking to educate themselves about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people (MMIWG2S+) in Canada. It also lists resources for those seeking help or resources in line with MMIWG2S+.
Related Resources
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Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
As part of Pride in Health, please join the Centre for Human Rights Research and the Queer & Trans Graduate Student Group on at 12 noon on Friday, Oct. 25th at the University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus (Brodie Atrium) for dancing, singing, stand-up comedy, and an overall fabulous lunch hour featuring Special K, Vida Lamour, Orion Sbelt, and Skirt Browning.
Special thanks to Synonym Art Consultation for organizing this amazing lineup.
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Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
The term Two Spirit was gifted to Elder Myra Laramee in a dream. The gift of Two Spirit was introduced in 1990 at the third annual international LGBT Native American gathering in Winnipeg.
As part of Pride and Health 2024, this panel is being held on the land colonially called Winnipeg, where Two Spirit was gifted to Myra Laramee 34 years ago.
In honor of 2SLGBTQIA+ History Month Canada, please join the Centre for Human Rights Research and the Queer & Trans Graduate Student Group on Friday, Oct. 25th at the University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus (Apotex – Room 071 in the basement) at 1:30pm. We are honored to host Two Spirit Elders Albert McLeod and Charlotte Nolin who will have a conversation about the history of Two Spirit and how that identity intersects with the health and healthcare needs of Two Spirit people. This panel, moderated by Community Health Sciences graduate student Danielle Hart, provides an opportunity for Two Spirit teachings to be shared, and centers the Two Spirit experience with healthcare, which is fraught with homophobia/transphobia in addition to racism.
If you can’t make it out in person, you can register to join us virtually here!
This event is funded by 2SLGBTQIA+ History Month Canada, the University of Manitoba Office of Equity Transformation.
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
The CHRR is pleased to support the 2SLGBTQ+ Histories Series at the University of Manitoba. Please join us on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 2:30pm for a lecture with Dr. Tom Hooper, Department of Equity Studies, York University who will be speaking on “Resisting Anti-Queer and Anti-Trans Hate: Lessons from 1970s Toronto”
In January 1978 anti-Queer and anti-Trans activist Anita Bryant brought her “Save Our Children” campaign to Toronto. The previous year Bryant had organized against a Miami-Dade, Florida ordinance that protected against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Bryant’s central argument was that this ordinance protected Queer and Trans people from discrimination in employment, including teachers and others who worked with children. The campaign to define Queer and Trans people as a threat to children worked, the Miami-Dade ordinance was repealed. Bryant was emboldened and embarked on a cross-continent campaign that also included a brief time Canada. Queer and Trans communities resisted these campaigns with various tactics. In this presentation I argue that studying our communities’ resistance to Anita Bryant could be useful as our communities rally to resist anti-Queer and anti-Trans hate today.
Watch a recording of the lecture here.

Everyone is welcome to attend.
This event is presented by the 2SLGBTQ+ Histories Series.We are thankful to the following units at the University of Manitoba for their support of Dr. Hooper’s lecture:
- Office of the Vice-Provost (Equity)
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Department of English, Film, Theatre, and Media
- Department of History
- Women’s and Gender Studies Program
- Institute for the Humanities
- The Centre for Human Rights Research
- UM Queer
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
In honour of the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Plus People, the CHRR and Indigenous Engagement and Communications are honoured to host author and artist Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette for a kitchen table gathering. The event will begin with a light lunch at 12:00 noon in 543-544 UMSU University Centre, University of Manitoba – Fort Garry Campus, and presentation/beading from 12:30-2:00pm.

Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette is an interdisciplinary scholar with an active arts and curatorial practice. Her work is grounded in story: stories of people, stories that objects tell, painting stories, telling stories and finding stories. She has done extensive work in archives and museum collections with an emphasis on retrieving women’s voices and recovering knowledge. Most recently she was cross-appointed to the Departments of Native Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Manitoba. Farrell Racette also had an extensive career in Saskatchewan education, working at SUNTEP Regina (GDI), First Nations University of Canada, and the University of Regina. She remains committed to experiential learning and Indigenous pedagogies.
This event is taking place in honour of the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (MMIWG2S+). The commemoration of the National Day of Action on October 4th every year is owing to the decades-long activism of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC). We encourage those who have not already done so to learn more about NWAC, as well as the work of the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+. You can learn more about the Inquiry’s Final Report and its 231 Calls to Justice at: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/
In lieu of a registration fee, please consider making a donation to Indigenous organizations working with MMIWG2S+.
In order to ensure we have enough food and beading supplies, please register at: https://forms.office.com/r/GKAXjA01hV
For more information on getting to the University of Manitoba campus, please see: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here. If you have any questions, please contact chrrman@umanitoba.ca.
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
“Dancing with fire in limbo”: The consequences of Myanmar migrants’ ambiguous legal status in Thailand
"Dancing with fire in limbo": The consequences of Myanmar migrants' ambiguous legal status in Thailand
May 20, 2024
Dr. Sai Kyi Zin Soe

The Department of Anthropology and the Centre for Human Rights Research hosted a lecture with Dr. Sai Kyi Zin Soe on May 30, 2024. Dr. Soe’s presentation “”Dancing with fire in limbo”: The consequences of Myanmar migrants’ ambiguous legal status in Thailand” explores the challenges faced by Burmese refugees in Thailand, who navigate the precarious circumstances of displacement and legal ambiguity. Drawing on social science research, it examines the drivers of forced migration from Myanmar, including the intensified civil war, persecution of ethnic minorities, and economic hardship. In Thailand, these refugees are officially classified as “illegal migrants,” leaving them in a state of limbo without access to essential services and vulnerable to arrest and deportation. Simultaneously, Burmese nationals face pressure to conform to their communities’ expectations regarding political activism and in-country revolution. The presentation emphasizes the importance of understanding these complex realities through a social science lens to inform holistic, rights -based approaches to development policy and practice. By advocating for legal recognition, refugee empowerment, and research-informed strategies, this presentation highlights the transformative potential of social science in shaping policies that bridge the gap between displacement and belonging, positioning refugees as agents of change.
Dr. Sai Kyi Zin Soe is a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy, Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. Currently, he serves as a Senior Consultant at the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), dedicated to assisting Myanmar migrants in Thailand. Additionally, he provides support to the Karenni State Interim Parliament (KSIP) in the capacity of a Technical Advisor.

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The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininew, Anisininew, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.