Healing Through Grief: An Indigenous Journalist's Journey After Losing Her Daughter
Jolene Banning, Fort William First Nation journalist, shares her story of grief after losing her daughter Amber, highlighting systemic issues affecting Indigenous communities in Canada.
A Personal Loss, A Collective Pain
Jolene Banning, an award-winning journalist from Fort William First Nation, recounts the devastating moment her world shattered. Two police officers arrived at her doorstep in a dark SUV, delivering the heart-wrenching news that her daughter Amber had died. The loss of her 13-year-old daughter, Amber-baa, left her grappling with a grief that transcends personal sorrow, echoing the collective pain experienced by many Indigenous families across Canada.
Systemic Injustice and Rising Losses
Banning’s story is not isolated. Indigenous communities face disproportionately high mortality rates, with women and girls at a 12 times greater risk of going missing or being murdered compared to non-Indigenous Canadians. This crisis, rooted in systemic racism, sexism, and colonialism, was highlighted in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Final Report, "Reclaiming Power and Place."
The journalist reflects on her own history of loss, including the death of her infant brother at six months old and the passing of numerous relatives over the years. "Many lives shut down before they even reached their prime," she writes, underscoring the cyclical nature of grief within Indigenous communities.
Healing Amidst Colonial Harm
Banning’s journey to healing is intertwined with her commitment to sharing her reality. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the pain and the systemic issues fueling it. "Losing my daughter, and losing other important people in my life too soon, led me to want to acknowledge this and share my reality," she states.
Her work as a journalist has been a lifeline, allowing her to channel her grief into advocacy. By sharing her story, Banning hopes to foster a broader understanding of the challenges Indigenous communities face and to inspire collective healing. "We hear about these losses. Sometimes it makes the news, stats are shared, but then we don’t hear from anyone again," she notes, calling for sustained attention and action.
A Call for Change
Banning’s narrative is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address systemic inequities. Her story, like many others, demands more than just awareness—it requires tangible action to dismantle the structures that perpetuate violence and loss within Indigenous communities.