Cindy Blackstock wants to fix things. She has fought for Indigenous kids to be treated with the same respect as everyone else. Which means better care and much more funding. And then we talk about why “Pretend Indians” are so infuriating. Very serious stuff. But change is happening. She radiates with hope, and is proud to be seen as a Woman of Ill Repute! We talk about destroyed childhoods and residential schools. Also, why her Spirit Bear is white, and why Cindy is a much better name than Wendy.Cindy Blackstock was born in 1964 in British Columbia to a Gitxsan father and a non-indigenous mother. She just won McGill’s highest award, the latest of so many, for her work fighting racism and establishing the Jordan Principle. She has a gazillion degrees, is a professor at McGill, and runs the First Nations Caring Society, which fights for equal funding and care for Indigenous kids.

We love writing and would love for you to read what we write. Sign Up for our Substack Newsletter.

If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]

We now have a YouTube Channel! Please hit the Subscribe button when you get there. And because you asked for it - Future episodes will be in video form. https://www.youtube.com/@WomenofIllRepute

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices