Sarah Robinson remembered as tireless B.C. Indigenous women’s advocate, friend

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Sarah Robinson had a simple guiding principle in life: Treat people the way they want to be treated.

A proud citizen of the Fort Nelson First Nation and the Saulteau First Nation, Sarah called many places in B.C. home, including Prince Rupert, Vancouver, and the small village of Macoah on the Toquaht Nation on the west coast of Vancouver Island near Ucluelet.

Sarah’s two-year battle with cancer came to an end last week, at the age of 35. She was a daughter, sister, wife, stepmother, and auntie.

She was also my best friend and sister at heart.

I am not the first person to write about Sarah’s accomplishments since her passing. And by no stretch of the imagination will I be the last.

The last time I spoke with Sarah was when she told me her time in this world was almost over. I asked her what she was thinking.

“Have I done enough?” she asked me over the phone.

I think she was talking about her personal experiences. She was an avid traveller, having been all over the world and getting the travel bug again. She asked me only months before if my in-laws in Ireland might let her stay in their thatched cottage in the country when the borders opened up again.

She also never shied away from an adventure. In 2003, it was midnight when she and I got a craving for Taco Bell. We grabbed our passports and drove to Seattle. We couldn’t find a Taco Bell and just drove home.

I also think she was talking about her husband and family, who she was endlessly devoted to and loved above all else.

Now, I look around at the impact she had on the world and it’s clear how much she’s done for countless people in it.

Sarah Robinson (second right) is pictured with her mother, late father, two brothers, sister-in-law and niece. (Photo courtesy: Bernice Badine Robinson)

Sarah remembered by B.C. community leaders

After completing UBC’s First Nations and Indigenous Studies program, Sarah went on to study law at the University of Victoria. She was a fellow of the 2014 Action Canada public policy leadership program and was also appointed to the B.C. Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women.

Chastity Davis-Alphonse is a fellow advocate and close friend who met Sarah when they both served on the council.

“She gave so much of her life and energy to advising the provincial government on ways that they can practically contribute to a better quality of life to Indigenous women in the province around safety and health and wellness,” she told me.

A fierce advocate specifically for Indigenous women, she had a big role in the practice of “Indigenous gender-based analysis plus,” which Davis-Alphonse says is still being developed with the council.

“It’s a tool that’s used in policy and impact assessment to ensure their voices and lived experiences and impacts of government policy and resource development and extraction includes the Indigenous women’s lens. She worked tireless to get that tool off the ground,” Davis-Alphonse explained.

Sarah spoke at The Walrus Talks National Tour: We Desire a Better Country (2017), where she said, “We experience colonization in a very different way than men do because we are doubly discriminated against. First, on basis of race and then on the basis of gender.”

Citing the 1876 Indian Act, she said federal law, rooted in Euro-Christian ideals, devalued Indigenous women “by treating us as accessories to men, at the will of men.”

“[The Act] defined a person as anyone other than an Indian and created Indian status which could only be handed down through Indigenous men. This meant that if a native woman married a non native man — she and her children, legally and in the eyes of our young Canadian government — were no longer native. And if there are ‘fewer native people’ in the eyes of the government, it helps justify the takeover of land because nobody’s using it anyway.”

When I and others shared news of her passing last week, there was an outpouring of messages, as people described the profound impact Sarah had in this province and across Canada.

B.C. Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon was among them. He worked with her in the re-establishment of the B.C. Human Rights Commission in 2018.

“It was such an important moment for me to learn about human rights when it came to First Nations and Indigenous communities. She really opened my eyes to a whole lot of ignorance that I had … when it came to that topic,” Kahlon said.

Sarah had a gentle way of speaking to people and making difficult conversations not seem so tough. She had patience and grace, and took the time to understand why blind spots existed.

Kahlon remembers a time when a man made “borderline racist” comments and he saw how she handled it.

“She had a way of acknowledging the person’s comments and then showing them why it was wrong to have those opinions. Really, within two minutes, she transformed that person, in a very thoughtful way, to a greater understanding of human rights and racism that Indigenous communities have faced. Not many people have that kind of skill set, to make people feel like it’s a safe enough space to have a conversation, to explore and learn, and … leave that conversation a better person.”

Premier John Horgan said on Twitter that “B.C. is a better place today because of Sarah Robinson’s passionate work to dismantle the systemic discrimination that is still a reality for far too many people in our province.”

BC is a better place today because of Sarah Robinson's passionate work to dismantle the systemic discrimination that is still a reality for far too many people in our province. I'm sad to learn of her passing and extend my deepest condolences to her family and friends. https://t.co/LCSRoF7hbZ

— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) May 27, 2021

In a video posted online two years ago, Sarah spoke about the importance of reconciliation, saying it wasn’t just politicians’ job to do this work.

“Teachers and schools who are raising next generations of children need to understand this. Government employees who haven’t had the opportunity to learn about these things need to have opportunities so that they can understand the way that their job, their nine to five every day, is in some way linked to Indigenous oppression. People need the opportunity to work through those things, not in a place of shame, but in a place of acknowledgement that this is where we came from and this is where we’re going.”

She believed if people choose to acknowledge those histories without taking things personally, and use that as a lens in how they see and live their lives, “I personally believe that Canada can look better in the span of a generation.”

Just days after her passing, Canada learned of the confirmation of the remains of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops. On Friday, I wrote about the emotional words from a residential school survivor, and really let the impact of that survivor’s words sink in. And that was hard.

That’s when Sarah’s next words in that video came to mind: “It’s that individual work that people need to do. And it’s tough work. It’s not easy.”

If Sarah were here today, she would be standing loud, calling for people to take notice, understand the true history of Canada, and use that understanding of the past to shape our country, moving forward.

Sarah Robinson – Honour and Celebration Video from SPIRO Creative on Vimeo.

Sarah, as principal of Rainwatch Advising, created an educational video about Indigenous peoples’ histories and experiences. In the 43-minute “crash course,” entitled Indigenous and Canadian Histories 101: What you didn’t learn in high school, she says “no sincere question is a stupid question.”

The video, which can be rented, touches on a wide range of topics, from terminology (What’s the difference between Aboriginal, First Nations, Metis, Indigenous, and Inuit?) to the impact of the Indian Act and residential schools.

Sarah, you asked me on that phone call whether you had done enough. You have done more than enough, my dear friend.

You gave love and life to everyone you touched and the world is an infinitely better place for having you in it. Your impact on this world will be felt and remembered for generations.

I have countless stories of the ways you have lifted me up personally, and you were there through almost every single event, success, struggle, joy, and pain that has shaped the person I am and the life I have today. I will keep them in my heart, where you live on, continuing to guide me to be the best version of myself I can possibly be.

This beautiful and incredible woman went on to another world last night.
For over 20 years, I was lucky to have you as one of my best friends in the world.
Thank you the countless ways you have shaped the person I am and the life I have today.

I will always love and miss you. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RcmtsRxBu6

— Denise (@DeniseTWong) May 25, 2021

A GoFundMe campaign was set up about a week before Sarah’s passing, with the goal of raising money to ease the financial burden on her family as a result of uncovered medical expenses.