Thread by @luckysean

I've had a weird emotional day today and it comes from a lot of inner turmoil, as I was raised to be ashamed of my Indigenous heritage - as it would hurt my chances of success. My mother was very obviously Cree looking but I with my Irish father became white passing. #NDTR2021

Blending in meant that I wasn't called names like my mother but it also meant listening to friends, family, and colleagues make racist jokes and say that Indigenous people didn't contribute to society and it all reinforced the warnings to remain silent and hidden.

That was until my mother was dying of cancer and she took it upon herself to get me to explore my heritage as much as I could before she passed. Since then I have been blessed with Indigenous people in my life from many nations and I try and help be a voice where I can.

Still though that impact on my life has made for so much inner strife at times that I feel unwanted in both worlds, despite logically knowing that isn't true those feelings still are seated deep inside me.

I am proud of my heritage and have been lucky to been taken in by many Coast Salish friends when I first moved here and have connected with many Indigenous cultures not just my own. But that inner turmoil still exists.

And I'm a "lucky one" I've never experienced the blatant racism or rejection more Indigenous presenting people face. My family hid and I'm the result of that, not everyone had that luxury as we know all too well on #NDTR

Today I stayed home and looked after my children, I'll talk and do videos and connect with people about #NDTR in the future but we can't be all things at all times to all people. Today I was a father and to my mother who never got to meet them, I know that's what she would want.