Brandi Nashkewa at the Seeking Safety program for trauma and substance abuse at the Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto on Feb. 21, 2019.Overwhelmed with the deep sorrow of losing her sonin a 2014 shooting, Reddick withstood the urge to use the crack and cocaine she'd given up decades before. Instead she'd reach for her tobacco pouch and pray, or smudge with sage to clear her mind. She'd turn to Indigenous elders and traditions to help ground and guide herself.
She's in a better place now, a place she said she never thought she'd get to, and draws from this experience to help other Indigenous women as a trauma coordinator at theSharon Reddick leads the Seeking Safety class at the Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto on Feb. 21, 2019. The centre is one of the few places in Toronto where Indigenous women struggling with addiction can access traditional healing and cultural activities in a kind of sisterhood. It's the type of place the city wants to make more common in an effort to reduce overdoses and opioid-related deaths, which disproportionately affect Indigenous people.
"The government needs to have more places that are geared towards aboriginal people and their needs, as opposed to putting them in a regular shelter where you can't smudge, talk about elders, or your teachings."Indigenous overdose strategy