NEW 2022 HISTORIAN CO- LAUREATES
After six solo historian laureates, this year the city has opted to go with co-historian laureates, choosing Cheryl Whiskeyjack and Omar Yaqub for the two-year position. In a way it's simply a continuation of a pre-existing partnership between the two community leaders.
“Omar and I have worked in partnership with our organizations over many years as a way of changing the narrative on Indigenous people through the various activities we've undertaken,” says Whiskeyjack.
Whiskeyjack's credentials for the role are impressive. As the executive director of the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, she's responsible for a number of different programs and services that help their Indigenous clients. Among other activities, she's a board member of the Canadian Accreditation Council of Human Services and the Align Association of Community Services, and has helped with organizations like Endpovertyedmonton and the National Advisory Council on Poverty.
Yaqub is perhaps best known for his work with Islamic Family, a charity in the social services sector devoted to addressing food security, family violence, refugee sponsorship, emergency financial relief, preventive youth programming and more. That being said, he's also helped with the creation of The Canadian Prayer Rug, digital storytelling platform Roots on 6, and ECVO'S History of Edmonton's Human Services Sector.
“Omar and I were excited at the platform and reach this distinction of being co-laureates will give us,” Whiskeyjack says.
“Our Indigenous/settler identities will merge both sets of stories and perspectives and bring them forward for consideration.”