Share this Story: Compelling Calgarians: Christy Morgan
Compelling Calgarians: Christy Morgan
Barb Livingstone • for the Calgary Herald
Jan 03, 2022 • January 3, 2022 • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Christy Morgan, who was awarded the City of Calgary's Chief David Crowchild Memorial Award recognizing leadership in building relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in Calgary, is building bridges on the path to reconciliation. Photo by Azin Ghaffari /Postmedia
Christy Morgan found her passion the first year of her social work degree.
"It spoke to my heart," the 44-year-old says of the community development class that emphasized the power of people working together at a grassroots level.
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Born in Penticton, B.C., Morgan, a member of the Bonaparte First Nation and now director of Indigenous issues for Calgary's Trellis Society, travelled each summer back to the reserve to see family, to fish, to hear stories and sing songs by the fire with great-grandparents.
"As a child I was very quiet, but I listened and observed, and in high school I discovered my voice. I had friends who had lots of troubles in their lives, and I always was there to support them, to question things."
Last year, Morgan was awarded the City of Calgary's Chief David Crowchild Memorial Award recognizing leadership in building relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in Calgary.
The award is just the latest in a 20-year career including the past five years at Trellis, which supports children, youth and families. The city's honour recognizes Morgan's advocacy work, including making Aboriginal Awareness Week and Orange Shirt Day (Canada's national day for truth and reconciliation) learning opportunities for everyone, despite the global pandemic.
Morgan spent 15 years with the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative (CUAI), which brought agencies, community and stakeholders together with all levels of government to develop solutions to issues facing Aboriginal Calgarians.
Her job at Trellis involves ensuring it's a place of reconciliation and inclusion, with redesigned policies to ensure deeper cultural connection between staff and the Indigenous people they serve.
This year will see fundraising for Trellis' program space in Westwinds, a more accessible location for many Indigenous clients.
And, while there's been heightened awareness of Indigenous issues with the discovery of mass graves at residential schools, "racism and discrimination still occur.
"People need to use their voice, as a Canadian society, to advocate for action on the wrongs that we see — and look at true reconciliation."