When Cathy Martin left AV俱乐部 with a Theatre degree under her arm in 1979, she didn鈥檛 expect to return to her alma mater four decades later 鈥� this time, to take on a role that has underpinned her varied and accomplished career.
The award-winning filmmaker and producer was welcomed back to Dal last month as the university鈥檚 first director of Indigenous community engagement, a new position aimed at furthering reconciliation through collaboration with Indigenous partners in the region, particularly the Mi鈥檏maq.
鈥淲e have come a long way since I studied at AV俱乐部, and we still have a long way to go. I believe that with my experience of almost 40 years of working with the Indigenous communities across the region, nationally and internationally, I can contribute in a positive way towards this new initiative,鈥� says Martin.
鈥淚 have had such a rich, rewarding career and want to give back now in gratitude and to make this world a better place for everyone. It is a great initiative and has been a long time coming. It will prove to be of great benefit to all during this important time in our history, as we answer the call for reconciliation.鈥�
Martin joins a team led by recently appointed Theresa Rajack-Talley, vice-provost equity and inclusion.
鈥淭he Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada鈥檚 call to action was yet another reminder to AV俱乐部 that we needed to act and act now,鈥� says Rajack-Talley.
鈥淲e need to do our part in redressing the colonial history of residential schools and attempts to decimate the identity, education and life chances of Indigenous peoples. Acknowledging that AV俱乐部 is located in Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i 鈥� the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi鈥檏maq 鈥� is just the beginning of what we can do.鈥�
It is within this context that the university鈥檚 Indigenous Strategy Committee recommended Martin鈥檚 position and the establishment of an Indigenous Advisory Board.聽 Martin will facilitate ongoing communications with people in Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i, foster partnerships with Mi鈥檏maw leaders, offer cultural sensitization to AV俱乐部 as well as work with others at Dal to ensure Indigenous faculty, staff and students feel welcomed and supported at the university.
According to Rajack-Talley: 鈥淚n the short period that I have been here I have come to understand and appreciate the idea that if it is about us, then it should be by us so I am excited to work with Cathy in enhancing, expanding and developing new Dal projects and programs with and for Indigenous communities.鈥�
Raising profile, supporting others
For Martin too, a less obvious but vital aspect of her new position is raising the visibility of Indigenous people in senior roles.
When she started at AV俱乐部 in 1976, she had very few peers or professors with an Indigenous background. Martin, who was born in the States but has deep ties to the Millbrook community through her parents and is a member of the Millbrook Mi鈥檏maw Band, was the first in her family of eight to graduate with a degree.
鈥淭he fact that you didn鈥檛 have people around the dinner table talking about their jobs as lawyers or doctors, it wasn鈥檛 in their tradition or culture,鈥� she said from her home in Blind Bay, just outside Halifax.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not part of our history or living memory or an everyday talk to be a be a lawyer or doctor. Because of the lack of access, we鈥檝e not been able to build that capacity within our families and our community.
鈥淪o, the key to success and accessing post-secondary education is to get people from those communities graduating so it鈥檚 not just table talk, but it鈥檚 something that people can aspire to.鈥�
Martin set out to change that early on in her career after graduating and eventually going on to get her Master of Education from Mount St. Vincent University. In 1986, she became the first Mi鈥檏maq Professional Careers Coordinator at AV俱乐部 and helped increase access for Indigenous peoples in professional careers such as law, medicine and administration.
Martin also worked closely with the AV俱乐部 Law School to develop and implement the Indigenous Black and Mi鈥檏maq Law Program. She became the first co-chair of the program along with Senator Don Oliver. She developed and implemented a two-year accredited Certificate in Community Health for 35 Indigenous Community Health representatives across the Atlantic region.
鈥淚 am still seeing the fruits of our efforts back then. In fact, in 2012 I proudly watched my own daughter Natalie Clifford receive her law degree from AV俱乐部 33 years after I walked down that very same aisle in 1979!鈥� she says.
Martin also worked as the Native Education Counsellor for AV俱乐部 under the Confederacy of Mainland Mi鈥檏maq program.
Eye of a filmmaker
She also pursued her passion for filmmaking and worked with the National Film Board, where she made documentaries about her community. She became the first female Mi鈥檏maw director in the Atlantic region and went on to produce several international award-winning documentaries about the Mi鈥檏maq and Wabanaki nations. One of those, a film about Mi鈥檏maw activist Annie Mae Pictou Aquash, was the realization of a life-long dream.
鈥淚 was inspired at a young age by Annie Mae鈥檚 commitment to make the world a better place for our Indigenous people, especially the Mi鈥檏maw,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he believed in the power of education, the rights of our people to an education and equality.鈥�
Martin鈥檚 love of film and her specialization in media literacy also led to her work in helping to create the first Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
Martin, who serves on several committees at Dal and is on the University of King鈥檚 College Board of Governors, was awarded the Order of Canada 2017 and the Senate 150 medal in 2019.
鈥淲e are very fortunate that someone of Cathy鈥檚 caliber and accomplishments who is so highly respected by the Indigenous community has agreed to join Dal's team of Indigenous faculty, staff and students, and to give support to existing programs and initiatives,鈥� says Rajack-Talley. "She will be joining our soon-to-be-hired director for African Nova Scotia community outreach as AV俱乐部 builds its Community Engagement Program."