Hello everyone! I’m Erin Smith and my pronouns are she/her. You can hear the pronunciation of my name here. I speak only English, but have studied in some capacity French, Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mongolian, and Arabic.

My roots

My great grandparents were born in Ireland and Norway, eventually finding their way to Manitoba and Saskatchewan where my grandparents and then parents were born. This situates me as a third-generation settler here in Canada. I grew up on Treaty 6 territory which is the land of the Blackfoot, Plains Cree, Stoney, Metis, Tsuut’ina and Cree people in central Alberta. I was part of a typical farming community that was shaped particularly by Polish and Ukranian cultural influences, especially in the small town where I was bussed in to attend school. 

After more than a decade abroad as a teacher, I came back to Canada in 2016, choosing to move to Vancouver where I now live and work on the traditional, ancestral, unceded, and present-day territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation. Having grown up in the land of wheat fields, 10-foot snow drifts, and big sky country, I still find it incredible to wake up to the sound of seagulls, be able to smell the sea air, and pass by a tree in the rainforest bigger than I ever thought possible. I am deeply grateful to the Musqueam people and the other First Nations communities in this area for their ongoing stewardship of this land.

In society

As for my social positioning, I would say that most of my identities are located within the dominant cultural norms here in Canada. I am white, CIS gender, heterosexual, generally able-bodied, and I think fairly neurotypical. I was born into and am still considered middle class, have a graduate degree, and if you don’t look too closely at my hair or listen too closely to my knees, am still considered “young”. With this positioning I hold tremendous power and privilege in many areas of my life. For example, the intergenerational wealth that has been passed down to me is significant. Not in terms of money in my bank account, but wealth in broader terms of what owning and selling land in Canada meant for a childhood of stable relationships, housing, income, food security, reliable transportation and health care. This is in addition to other pathways around education, work, and social networks that were relatively obstacle-free because of white supremacy and other dominant power structures that have directly benefitted and continue to benefit folks like me.

With all my privileges, I’m also a plus-size woman with a recent chronic health condition that affects my day-to-day life. My positionality in these identities routinely reminds me of how and where this world isn’t made with me in mind– whether we’re talking about reproductive rights, beauty standards, expectations around productivity in a capitalist society, or finding a pair of shoes that fit me in a regular store. But even in these identities, my dominant social positioning infiltrates to make these areas easier to navigate and “be”. 

Rest and recharge!

For me the need to rest and recharge has become less of an option and more of a necessity in recent years. I have to prioritize this over most other things in my life in order to function. I have found a great meditative practice in painting and if I’m not doing that, I’m absolutely working my way through the latest Korean drama. Reccommendations given and welcome!

My work

I currently support the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in a few different ways. I facilitate intercultural and EDI training for multiple student groups on campus and consult on various initiatives across different departments with a professional lens that bridges intercultural and social justice frameworks. I’m also currently working toward the UBC Certificate in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and hold a masters from Royal Roads in International and Intercultural Communication. As to what brings me to this work, I would have to say a strong sense of responsibility to leverage the power and privilege that come with my identity. I hope to focus on enacting change and keeping accountability to relationships with those in communities outside dominant social norms. 

I'm always seeking out personal and professional learning opporortunites with the intention of better supporting my colleagues and of mitigating any harm I may enact or contibute to in my lack of lived experience or knowledge around important EDI issues. This is done with the awareness of the inherent privilege in gaining this learning and more often times unlearning through a more formal academic process. 

So if you are someone in the Langara College community with similar identities to me (or not :)) and are curious and also a little uncomfortable about engaging in conversations around intercultural or EDI-related topics, I welcome holding space for those discussions. Let's chat! (erinsmith@langara.ca)