Jodie Kanenstenhawi Norton is a Haudenosauee mother of two, embarking on a healing journey through reconciliation with a colonized world. She shares the stories of her great grandfather, Thomas Aronhiakens Lahache, and her great aunt, Anna Kahwenniosta Lahache, who were taken from their homes and placed into residential schools when they were just 7 and 9 years old The impact of this deliberate attempt to cut off Indigenous children from their families, language and culture was devastating, affecting not only Jodie’s great grandfather and great aunt, but their children, and the generations to follow, including Jodie.

Merilee Calderon Weitzman presents the extraordinary story of survival of her late father, Leon Calderon, one of the few survivors of Auschwitz originating from Salonika, Greece. With the number 120826 tattooed on his arm, her father’s pride slowly crumbled as he was stripped of his humanity. Leon watched as Jews, including his own family, were violently forced into gas chambers and later burned in crematoriums. Leon survived death marches and slave labor to finally find a better future for his family in Montreal.
Merilee's presentation can be given in either English or French.