Fallon Farinacci

Yeah. So I said yes. And I testified, I shared my story. And just the way that for people that don't know, it was the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Yeah. So I said yes. And I testified, I shared my story. And just the way that for people that don't know, it was the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

In Canada, yes, yeah. And a lot of people think that it was the government. Yes, well, it was the funding from the government. Mm-hmm. It wasn't the government that called for this inquiry.

In Canada, yes, yeah. And a lot of people think that it was the government. Yes, well, it was the funding from the government. Mm-hmm. It wasn't the government that called for this inquiry.

Why would they want to look into the systems that they put into place that are... Failing people over and over and over again. Yeah, absolutely. So it was grassroots organizations. And it was really through that process that I met other family members. And I kind of like said like a light bulb off, like, oh, my gosh. This isn't just the cards that I was dealt.

Why would they want to look into the systems that they put into place that are... Failing people over and over and over again. Yeah, absolutely. So it was grassroots organizations. And it was really through that process that I met other family members. And I kind of like said like a light bulb off, like, oh, my gosh. This isn't just the cards that I was dealt.

These cards have been dealt to so many other Indigenous people, communities. And I thought along this way, as I met some people that had so many similar stories to me, I was like, OK, I need to be involved in this somehow. And so then it was 2019. I get this call from the commissioner if I would join the National Family Advisory Circle.

These cards have been dealt to so many other Indigenous people, communities. And I thought along this way, as I met some people that had so many similar stories to me, I was like, OK, I need to be involved in this somehow. And so then it was 2019. I get this call from the commissioner if I would join the National Family Advisory Circle.

And then it was there that I met other family members, survivors, and hearing their stories. And it was just, it shook me to my core. And I thought, okay, more needs to be done. And more needs to be said. And these people need to be heard. Stories need to be heard. And so I continued on on the National Inquiries Committee with the family members.

And then it was there that I met other family members, survivors, and hearing their stories. And it was just, it shook me to my core. And I thought, okay, more needs to be done. And more needs to be said. And these people need to be heard. Stories need to be heard. And so I continued on on the National Inquiries Committee with the family members.

And then we came to a closing where, you know, we gathered and we handed over the final report. All the research, the findings that had been brought together from these... The evidence. The evidence, exactly. And we... And it was there that I had that imposter syndrome kind of disappeared because I had seen it as for so long like this. I'm telling you this story.

And then we came to a closing where, you know, we gathered and we handed over the final report. All the research, the findings that had been brought together from these... The evidence. The evidence, exactly. And we... And it was there that I had that imposter syndrome kind of disappeared because I had seen it as for so long like this. I'm telling you this story.

This is what happened to my family.

This is what happened to my family.

Yes, it happened to me, but I'm sure it's a trauma response. You can take yourself out of it so easily. And I just kind of chalked it up to this is the way, this is the cards that were dealt. And it was there that I grabbed my husband's leg and I whispered to him. I said, I get it. And he said, you get what? I said, I'm the girl.

Yes, it happened to me, but I'm sure it's a trauma response. You can take yourself out of it so easily. And I just kind of chalked it up to this is the way, this is the cards that were dealt. And it was there that I grabbed my husband's leg and I whispered to him. I said, I get it. And he said, you get what? I said, I'm the girl.

And he just like looked at me and I was like, and I just was overcome with emotion because I think that was kind of the first time I realized like I'm the girl that I shouldn't be here statistically. Right. You're the statistic. I'm the statistic. Yeah. I'm the child that, you know, the systems are up against now.

And he just like looked at me and I was like, and I just was overcome with emotion because I think that was kind of the first time I realized like I'm the girl that I shouldn't be here statistically. Right. You're the statistic. I'm the statistic. Yeah. I'm the child that, you know, the systems are up against now.

And so it was a few months later, a friend of mine, a dear friend, Dr. Robin Bourgeois, and she had decided to start the Decolonial Reading Circle at Rock University. And she's fierce and she's a survivor herself, but she had wanted to take action. And I just admired that so much about her. And so I joined the National. I remember emailing, like, can I join this decolonial reading circle?

And so it was a few months later, a friend of mine, a dear friend, Dr. Robin Bourgeois, and she had decided to start the Decolonial Reading Circle at Rock University. And she's fierce and she's a survivor herself, but she had wanted to take action. And I just admired that so much about her. And so I joined the National. I remember emailing, like, can I join this decolonial reading circle?