Reconciliation 101

Embracing Our Shared Journey Towards Healing

This article was authored by Edgar Villanueva, Founder and CEO of Decolonizing Wealth Project, as part of Lush's Justice for Grassy Narrows campaign. Published on May 31, 2024.

A letter on Indigenous resilience

In the tapestry of human history, few threads are as dark and enduring as the impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities. From the northernmost reaches of Canada to the southern portions of the United States, colonialism has left an indelible mark on First Nations, Inuit, Metis, and Native American communities—as it has for Indigenous communities around the world. The stories of harm are not relics of the past but living legacies that continue to affect Indigenous peoples in myriad ways.

Yet amid these narratives of pain and oppression, there are vibrant threads of resistance, resilience, and resurgence. As a citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and through my work with the Decolonizing Wealth Project, I've been privileged to witness and participate in movements that confront these historical injustices and pave paths toward healing and repair.

Understanding the wounds

The history of colonialism in (what many now call) North America is a story of forced removal, cultural erasure, and physical and spiritual violence against Indigenous peoples. The Canadian government funded the formal Canadian Residential School System, and the Christian church ran the administration. The schools operated from the 1880s until the final residential school located in Saskatchewan closed in 1996. The schools and teachings were designed to force Indigenous children to assimilate into the European-Canadian ways of life and Christian beliefs. Children were stolen from their homes and punished for speaking their languages; records suggest 6,000 children died under the care of the schools. These horrific state-sanctioned spaces operated for more than a century, decimating the connection between Indigenous children and their heritage. Similarly, in the United States, policies such as the Indian Removal Act and the establishment of boarding schools sought to assimilate and erase Indigenous cultures. Survivors of this system, who still walk among us today, bear the scars of this generational harm.

Paths to healing

Healing from these deep wounds requires more than acknowledgment; it requires action and systemic change. In Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has laid out 94 Calls to Action, inviting all sectors of Canadian society—government, schools, businesses, and individual Canadians to participate in the healing process. The 94 Calls to Action require an acknowledgment of the full history of the residential schools—and also require action. Specifically, the creation of systems to prevent the harms from occurring again, often called a “guarantee of non repetition”.

Healing must also address the environmental injustices that disproportionately impact Indigenous communities, acknowledging that our fates are intertwined with the health of our planet. Honoring treaties and restoring lands and rights to Indigenous peoples are one of many ways we can be in motion with our healing work. Movements like Land Back—active in both the United States and Canada—are not only about returning stolen lands but also about restoring Indigenous ways of being and relating to the land, each other, and all our relations.

All my relations: a call to collective healing

The Indigenous worldview of "All My Relations" reminds us that we are all connected—not just to each other but to the land, the water, the air, and all living beings. This interconnectedness means that harm done to one is harm done to all—and healing one is healing all. The wounds inflicted by colonialism extend beyond Indigenous communities, touching the soul of humanity itself—and this is why everyone must engage in healing. The act of healing is mutually transformative. Healing requires us to confront uncomfortable truths, challenge the structures of power and privilege, and open our hearts to the stories and wisdom of those who have been most harmed by historical and systematic racism.

In my book, Decolonizing Wealth, I offer seven nonlinear steps to healing that anyone can engage in: grieve, apologize, listen, relate, represent, invest, and repair. These steps guide us on our unique healing journeys, journeys that are an active commitment to dismantling the systems that perpetuate harm and fostering a world that upholds dignity, justice, and equity for all.

In our daily lives, we can seek out and amplify Indigenous voices, support Indigenous businesses, artists, and culture, and educate ourselves and others about the true history of the lands we call home. By doing so, we not only honor the resilience and beauty of Indigenous communities but also take steps toward healing our own wounds from our shared past.

As we look to the future, let’s commit to a path of action that honors the spirit of resistance and resurgence in Indigenous communities. Let's engage in the hard work of repair, not as a final destination but as a continual process of healing, learning, and growing together. In doing so, we acknowledge that the journey toward healing is not just about mending the past but about building a future where all can thrive.

To healing, 

Founder/CEO Decolonizing Wealth Project 

Edgar Villanueva 

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Learn more about Decolonizing Wealth Project’s National Truth and Healing Fund, which is dedicated to addressing the painful legacy of U.S. Native American boarding schools by providing funding for efforts to advance truth, reconciliation, and healing, including support for advocacy efforts for the U.S. Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act.

If you would like to learn more about Lush’s Justice for Grassy Narrows campaign (and how you can help the community) click here.