Sdahl Ḵ’awaas (also known as Lucy Bell) is the recipient of the 2021 Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy for her bravery in calling out racism in the heritage field and advocating for change in an era of reconciliation.
In 2020, Sdahl Ḵ’awaas resigned as the head of the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department at the Royal British Columbia Museum, citing personal and institutional racism. Since then, Sdahl Ḵ’awaas, a member of the Haida Nation, has called on museums to reflect on themselves and be more accountable, anti-racist institutions. She says now is the time for museums to reflect on their colonial legacy, foster better relationships with Indigenous people and address racism within the workplace.
Sdahl Ḵ’awaas, who continues to support the Haida Nation’s repatriation efforts while working toward her PhD in individualized interdisciplinary studies at Simon Fraser University, will receive the Sterling Prize and deliver a lecture on these issues. The award ceremony, hosted by SFU Public Square and SFU’s Office of the Vice-President, Academic, will be held at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver and will be livestreamed for the public.
Hear more from Sdahl K’awaas in this SFU News story and in the video.
Online event
This online event will be livestreamed from the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. A link and password to access this online event will be emailed to all registrants via Eventbrite shortly before the event.
Accessibility
ASL interpretation and closed captioning in English will be available at this event. The event will be recorded, and a link to the captioned video recording will be emailed to all registrants after the event.
If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact psqevent@sfu.ca.