(Ottawa, ON) September 1, 2020 – On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, the Legacy of Hope Foundation’s host, Gordon Spence, is joined by Albert Beck, Métis human rights activist, where they discuss his life experiences and the impacts of the Sixties Scoop.

Mr. Beck is Métis from Winnipeg, Manitoba living in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been involved in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) education, policy and program initiatives for Indigenous Peoples in Canada for decades. In 2016, he received the HIV Exceptional Leadership Award for his dedication, passion, leadership and commitment to the Indigenous acquired immunodeficiency syndrome movement in Canada. On the international front, Mr. Beck became the first Métis citizen to be part of the Indigenous Fellowship Program offered by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. He is the past President of the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy and is married to his best friend Craig Phillips. Mr. Beck is currently working with the Métis National Council as a Senior Policy Analyst and Ministerial Sixties Scoop Advisor for their national engagement process.

Mr. Beck is a Sixties Scoop Survivor and his story is included in the LHF’s exhibition, Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth-Telling from the Sixties Scoop. This exhibition raises awareness and educates Canadians on the Sixties Scoop, where Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and families for placement in foster homes or up for adoption with non-Indigenous families. The exhibition includes Oral Testimonies of 12 Survivors who talk about their experiences. To view the exhibition and listen to the Survivors’ Testimonies, go to: https://legacyofhope.ca/bigiwen/ To listen to this and other episodes of Roots & Hoots, visit: https://legacyofhope.podbean.com/ Albert was also a contributor to the Sixties Scoop Curriculum for Grades 6-12 and for adults. The LHF is grateful to have been working on several projects with Mr. Beck for the past four years.

The LHF is pleased to be celebrating their 20-year anniversary as a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential School System, Sixties Scoop, Day Schools and other colonial acts of oppression on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Peoples. The LHF has 19 exhibitions that are available for loan for free.

Our latest exhibition, Escaping Residential Schools: Running for their Lives, is now available through an animated virtual video, along with the Survivors’ Oral Testimonies. The exhibition examines the experience of Survivors of the Residential School System and raises awareness on the impacts it has on our communities. For more information on the project, please visit: https://legacyofhope.ca/project/escapingrs/ The LHF is working on making its other exhibitions also available on line. LHF also has curriculum from K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Day Schools. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism and foster Reconciliation in Canada.

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone:  613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca