NOVEMBER 26, 1999
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THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA NOVEMBER 26, 1999 |
by Robie LiscombLast year, when Sarah Hunt spoke at the first annual UVic Aboriginal Students’ Symposium about her honours thesis project in women’s studies, both she and members of the audience had tears in their eyes. For her thesis, she worked on issues of violence against aboriginal women working in the sex trade in Vancouver’s downtown East side, and after her talk, several women came up to her in tears to tell her about their relatives who were working the streets. “This really underscored for me the value of what I was doing,” says Hunt, a member of the Kwagiulth First Nation who receives her honours BA in women’s studies this weekend. |
| “Sarah is an outstanding student academically,” says women’s studies chair Dr. Christine St. Peter. “But what really distinguishes her are her intense desire to become a good writer and to put that skill/gift to use for First Nations people, and her very generous contribution of time and effort to many activities, groups and individuals.”
During her first year at UVic, Hunt took a wide variety of courses, but it was the introductory women’s studies course that seemed to offer what she was looking for. “Writing is my passion and I’m very academically driven. I felt that women’s studies offered the potential to explore the issues important to me. It helped me put my life experiences in a theoretical context that made sense.” Her honours topic sprang from a paper she wrote last year in a course on poverty, patriarchy and prostitution taught by Dr. Jyoti Sanghera. “I was amazed at the lack of writing about aboriginal women in the sex trades,” says Hunt. |
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| Her thesis drew upon two years of work with the Downtown East Side Women’s Centre, planning and organizing the annual Valentine’s day march to honour women—mostly aboriginal street-involved women—who have died violent deaths in the area. In her thesis, she examines how stereotypes around aboriginal women’s sexuality have been used historically as a tool to disempower aboriginal people. She investigates the reality of poverty and other conditions that lead aboriginal women onto the street, and explores efforts to address these conditions.
Hunt intends to return to university and pursue graduate studies, but first she wants to put her new skills to work in the community. The week after graduation, Hunt starts work as a youth outreach worker with the Urban Native Youth Association in Vancouver. “I’ll be working with aboriginal youth, mostly women aged 11 to 17, to provide them with life skills and referrals for services that will hopefully prevent them from becoming street involved,” she says. “I’m very aware of how few people from my community actually make it through university,” says Hunt, “and I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I’ve received from my band and the community. I’m also so grateful for the support of so many incredible people at UVic. They’ve helped me develop skills that I can now bring back to the community to help work for positive changes.” |
