Dawnland: Film Screening and Discussion

ABOUT THE FILM:

For much of the 20th century, child welfare authorities removed Native American children from their tribal homes, devastating parents and denying children their traditions, culture, and identity. The documentary Dawnland chronicles the first official truth and reconciliation commission in the United
States for Native Americans and explores the possibilities of healing and reconciliation.
Film screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with:
Maria Girouard, Executive Director,
Maine-Wabanaki REACH
Dr. Mishy Lesser, Co-founder, Upstander
Project, and Learning Director, Dawnland

and

April Fournier, Operations and Special
Services Manager, Promise Early Education
Center in Lewiston, Maine, and Co-founder,
Team Indigenous Roller Derby

Refreshments will be served.

Attendance certificates will be available for CEUs.
FMI: Melissa Prescott - prescotm@sad44.org

More about the panelists:

About the Panelists:
 
Maria Girouard, Executive Director of Maine-Wabanaki REACH, served as the Health and Wellness Coordinator for REACH throughout the life of the truth commission. She is a member of Penobscot Nation, a longstanding community organizer and activist of environmental and social justice. Maria is an historian with a master’s degree in history from the University of Maine and expertise in the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. She is a founder of The Peoples' Garden at Penobscot Nation and a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Maryann Hartman Award for her advocacy work on preserving the rights and cultural heritage of Penobscot Nation.
 
Dr. Mishy Lesser, is the Co-founder of the Upstander Project, Learning Director of Dawnland, and Education Fellow at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut. She is director of the Upstander Academy, a weeklong professional learning experience for teachers and museum educators that focuses on genocide and decolonization and the skills of upstanders. Currently Dr. Lesser spends much of her time researching and writing the three-inquiry Teacher's Guide for Dawnland. Mishy authored the Coexist Teacher’s Guide to promote learning about the complexity of reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda. She is a Circle Keeper and has been featured on WBUR (Boston) and PRI/BBC’s The World. Mishy was a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador and spent 12 years learning and working in the Andes.
 
April Fournier, Diné/Navajo, is the mother of 4 children, one who has an autism diagnosis. She has extensive experience and a masters degree in Special Education, and she has been specializing in Early Education.  She is currently the Operations and Special Services Manager at Promise Early Education Center in Lewiston, Maine, where she is responsible for leading a team of educators to implement culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed practices with children and their families.  As a child, April’s mother was removed from the home of her birth family and tribal community, and only as an adult was she able to reconnect with her tribe and its traditions. April is also a co-founder of Team Indigenous Roller Derby, a team of roller derby athletes representing diverse indigenous groups from around the world -  they recently competed at the Roller Derby World Cup.