A Canadian official has been accused of “race faking” when serving as an authority of sorts for indigenous people at the University of Saskatchewan.
Carrie Bourassa, a professor and academic specializing in indigenous health issues at the University of Saskatchewan, has described herself as being of Metis, Anishinaabe and Tlingit heritage.
The professor has gone above and beyond with the role in the past, even wearing native dress and identifying herself as “Morning Star Bear” during a 2019 TEDx talk.
However, it has since been revealed by local media that she is entirely of European heritage, resulting in the professor being compared to American race-faker Rachel Dolezal, an activist who allegedly pretended to be black.
According to The Guardian, Bourassa has since stepped down from her position as scientific director for Indigenous peoples health at the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).
Bourassa -who is of Russian, Polish and Czechoslovakian descent- said she had been adopted as Metis by a friend of her grandfather and had subsequently been adopted into other communities.
Maybe in the fact that I’m trying so hard to pull pieces together, maybe I’ve forgotten certain things. It’s hard sometimes when you’re so anxious to find some of the gaps you know are there,” she said.
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