Indigenous Greetings

Opening the day with story and spirit, Shanese – rooted in lived experience and grounded in cultural tradition, will guide us through the lived realities of Indigenous communities who have long resisted and survived systems built without them. Through personal and community stories, she will speak to resilience, the power of community-based leadership, the role of spiritual and cultural practices in driving systems change, and the deep ties between land, identity, and change. Framing decolonization as a shared responsibility, this greeting will set a powerful tone with Indigenous lens for the day’s conversations on transformative equity.

Shanese is a bridge-builder and equity-driven community animator with 14 years of experience in collaborative community development, capacity building, and place-based learning. An Afro-Indigenous femme of Métis, Trinidadian, and Grenadian descent with Anishinaabe ties, she centers decolonial, queer, feminist, and pro-Black approaches in her work on 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, reconciliation, anti-racism, and youth leadership. She blends traditional knowledge, intersectional frameworks, and community-led action, with a passion for equitable policy, curriculum design, and systems change. Shanese is also a published writer, her work can be found in Xtra Magazine, The Trent Arthur, Global Indigenous Youth: Through Their Eyes (Columbia), and Nutmeg and Sage Blog.