Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/1492838
20 CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY For Scott, International Women's Day is about striving for the safety, health and strength of future genera- tions of women, girls and Two Spirit people. At the same time, she credits women from the past and present who helped open doors and provide guidance for today's journey. "We recognize all leaders who paved the way for us to be where we are now, and we repay this debt of gratitude by supporting future women leaders through mentorship, compassion and opportunities to learn and grow," she says. "This is also a time to be mindful of all the children and young women who never had the opportunity to grow up to become the leaders of their generation because that op- portunity was taken away from them through repressive colonial institutions like the residential schools." Brenda Gunn is the academic and research director at the NCTR and a law professor at the University of Man- itoba. Through her role, Gunn hears a range of experiences, perspectives and questions about the history and legacy of residential schools. "Part of my responsibility is also to my four-year-old daughter and to oth- ers who see me in my role. I see the way my daughter models what I do — the good and the bad," she says. "It's important to me to try to live the values that I hold as best I can, to admit when I've made mistakes and to address them in the best way possible." For Gunn, International Women's Day is significant because many hu- man rights violations target women or impact women differently. "It's also a day to not only remem- ber that there's a lot of work to do to address gender-based societal imbal- ances and oppression," she says, "but to celebrate the knowledge that women bring to this world." Kaila Johnston serves as the su- pervisor of education, outreach and public programming. "At the NCTR, more than half A powerful teaching tool is the NCTR's archival collection which includes millions of records, Survivor statements and physical objects related to the residential school system. Kaila Johnston, serves as the supervisor of education, outreach and public programming at the NCTR S U P P L I E D P H O T O S CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 Dr. Levinia Brown, Survivor Circle member