We are sorry. As an organization, we are committed to doing better.
Vancouver Poetry House and Vancouver Poetry Slam would like to thank the community members who brought forward the lack of Indigenous programming during June – National Indigenous Peoples Month.
To those who brought this oversight forward, to our community, specifically to the Indigenous members, we recognize we have not followed through with tangible actions by not centring our programming on Indigenous voices this June.
We are sorry. As an organization, we are committed to doing better.
We have begun and will continue to engage with community members on how to address our error, make amends and ensure our future actions match our words.
The June 24th slam has been altered to include an Indigenous feature and host. We will also be prioritizing Indigenous folks who sign up to perform. Additionally, we will continue to seek to highlight the work and voices of Indigenous artists throughout our annual programming.
We are grateful to those who reached out to us for investing that time and effort into the community.