Vancouver Foundation provided a list of questions about storytellers’ experience with justice and sustainability. The questions were extremely broad, leading all storytellers to ask, repeatedly, “am I answering the question?” and “am I giving you the information that’s needed?” We worked our way through the questions, each having a slightly different read on the conversation. However, all have shared commonalities.
Heather chose 3 community members who are doing important work. They are:
Calla Evans is a fat, queer, disabled, white settler living on the stolen lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, colonially known as Vancouver, BC.
Calla is an image-maker, visual storyteller, digital problem solver, fat activist and ex-scholar. Much of her practice explores the material conditions of fatness in so-called “Canada” as well as digital fat identity construction and performance. She is a passionate advocate for a more fat-inclusive outdoors and works with industry stakeholders to improve access, safety, and representation for fat people in the outdoors. Calla currently also works as a digital storytelling facilitator at Re•Vision: The Centre for Art & Social Justice. She cultivates as much time as possible in the woods with her pup, Ellie.
Carmel Tanaka (she/her) is a queer, neurodivergent, ‘Jewpanese’ (Jewish and Japanese Canadian) woman of colour from the west coast on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. She is a community engagement professional and consultant, who knows what it takes. She has founded a number of leadership initiatives:
JQT Vancouver
Jewpanese Project
Cross Cultural Walking Tours
Genocide Prevention BC
Carmel is a creator of written and video media content, as well as a dynamic speaker and panelist regular. She holds a Masters in Public Health, specializing in Emergency & Disaster Management from Tel Aviv University, and a Bachelor of Arts, specializing in Asian Language & Culture from the University of British Columbia.
The 3rd participant chose to be anonymous. We talked about a variety of issues. They are a long time 2SLGBTQIA+ advocate who is disabled. They spoke about how inequitable the system of scarcity is for disabled people. They and others have to rely on fundraising campaigns to cover necessary disability supports like wheelchairs and walkers. Not only should the government be covering the needs of disabled people (who can’t afford to on their own) but fundraising relies on social capital. This is unfair, especially for people with disabilities who are isolated because they don’t have access to the mobility devices that would enable their being out and involved in community.