One of the first things Tulip does after cycling home from a Tuesday outdoor Aquafit class, is make a cuppa mocha. Today was different; very different.
As she puts her purse down on the stairway while she locks up her bicycle, she hears a flurry of beep sounds from her phone connecting into the home WiFi. Her curiosity peaks to this unusual chorus.
“OMG!”, her inner self says.
“OMG!” , her outer self says, as she slowly sits down on the stairwell.
At first it looks like a message from the Queen — the actual Queen; our Queen; the Queen of Canada and every other British Commonwealth country!
“Oh My God, nobody is going to believe this!”
Once the fog lifts from her sunglasses and she wipes her teary eyes with the sleeve of her tie dyed teeshirt, she manages to read the full message.
“Congratulations Tulip, you have been nominated and accepted to receive a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee award in recognition of your lifelong commitment to learning about and advocating for respect and understanding of indigenous history, culture and reconciliation initiatives.”
Tulip is astounded and shocked. She thinks back about her personal links to living in a small hamlet (North Bend) in the upper Fraser Canyon Region of British Columbia. It was a lovely place but something about it always stood out as odd. Although the small population was predominately ‘white’, there was also a group on the other side of the railway tracks with a lightly tanned skin. Few talked about ‘those people’ and although it was okay for them to come to the one and only elementary school, and attend the community square dances in the one and only town hall, it was standard to not talk to them or associate with them beyond those limits.
Tulip did not like that, did not understand that and did not obey that expectation. In fact, her first amorous experience was with a delightful, fun, quiet, polite guy named Moses. He was from the other side of the tracks! They sat together at school, played marbles at recess and loved those dances. It all ended when her family moved to the big city.
Many years later, Tulip learned that Moses had died. It was not a natural death and a part of her stepped to the plate to not let his death and those of other indigenous people go unanswered. It was a quiet and lonely journey, often challenging, but she never wavered and to this day, she has not stopped.
An imaginary project entitled “Can You See Me Now” is a collaborative proposal involving the Kwantlen First Nation and the rest of society. Tulip combines her personal passion for cycling safely with her drive to inform and educate people about Kwantlen history and culture. An elevated cycling bridge is constructed over Kwantlen territory. At checkpoints along the route, there are story boards, videos or live entertainment reflecting the pride of the Kwantlen, providing all with an amazing insight, understanding and appreciation of things that help to open eyes, ears and hearts.
When doing a bit of research about the Platinum Jubilee award — an Award to commemorate the Queen’s 70 years on the Throne, it shows the Queen asked for nominees in a few specific categories and “Indigenous” is listed.
Tulip is not indigenous; but, the tribute in the “Royal” email is true. Her journey in support of Indigenous people and in bridging the socio-gap, started at a young age and it continues.
The platinum award is huge, a true honour that will motivate her to carry on, to not stand back — because every step taken to fix a broken moral code, matters. Every ‘forward together' step matters, as it does in any meaningful relationship.
Tulip looks forward to the success of the inaugural elevated cycling track, actual or metaphorical, with many more to come. Her personal motto remains “Stand above and make it happen!” — that would be a pretty platinum outcome.
She graciously responds to the email: “I humbly accept,” and sits quietly on her porch feeling Moses at her side.
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