Reconciliation Framework

Rise Up! is committed to moving beyond the harmful, colonial logics too often reproduced in archival theory and practice, and toward relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples built on respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility.

Our work is guided by the Reconciliation Framework: The Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce, developed by the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives in 2022. The framework provides a roadmap for archives seeking meaningful reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments, communities, and individuals represented in their collections. It has served as the foundation for Rise Up’s own multi‑phase action plan to embed reconciliation principles across all aspects of our archival practice.

As part of this plan, we are conducting a comprehensive audit of all materials in the Rise Up! archive to identify records by or about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, including how they arrived in our collection, consent status, and cultural sensitivity. We have revised or are in the process of revising our acquisition policies, donor agreements, and description practices to reflect the First Nations principles of OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) and the need for free, prior, and informed consent. Finally, we are laying the groundwork for building relationships with Indigenous communities, organizations, and individuals by identifying points of contact , developing communication protocols, and preparing to consult on consent, redescription, and access.

To learn more about our approach to implementing the reconciliation framework, check out this short article in the Rise Up! newsletter. 

Rise Up! actively welcomes your questions, feedback, and collaboration as we strive for a more just archival practice. We especially invite input from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis scholars, archivists, activists, and community members during this process. Stay tuned for updates, and please do not hesitate to contact us at info@riseupfeministarchive.ca

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Rise Up Feminist Archive seeks to be inclusive of those whose historic contributions to feminist activism in Canada have too often been marginalized or erased from the mainstream narrative. In particular, we strive to include materials representing the voices of Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour; disabled women; immigrant women; and 2SLGBTQI+ persons.

We understand, however, that our work takes place in a context of structural inequality, violence, and oppression and that Rise Up is not immune to these forces and their impacts. Rise Up is strongly committed to addressing racism and other forms of oppression in our archival collection, structures, membership, and practices. We realize that acting on this commitment requires both serious reflection and a meaningful plan for action.

As part of this process, we commit ourselves to significant outreach and collaboration, meaningful conversations and listening, and openness to criticism and change. We commit also to being open about the steps we are taking and our progress.

Solidarity Statement

Rise Up! acknowledges that our work takes place in a context of ongoing colonialism, racism, heteropatriarchy, class inequalities, ableism and other forms of structural violence and oppression.

The material included on this site documents resistance to these interlocking oppressions, as well as efforts to create alternatives to harmful social and economic structures. However, we are aware that our archive is incomplete and imperfect. A central goal is to fill these gaps, to highlight histories and voices pushed to the margins, and to do so in the spirit of solidarity and justice. Working with an archive is an engagement with the present just as much as it is with the past. As we undertake our work, we commit ourselves to learning from movements against colonialism and racism, and to engaging in conversations that advance the commitments articulated here.

Land Acknowledgement

Rise Up began, and continues much of its work, on the traditional and contemporary territory of the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Anishinaabeg, including the Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit. This territory is part of the Dish with One Spoon Treaty.

We recognize the enduring presence of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples on these lands and on all the lands on which our work, as a virtual organization and archive, takes place.

As a predominantly settler organization, Rise Up also acknowledges the importance of relationship-building and continual learning. We organize and work in solidarity with movements against colonialism and racism. We commit to highlighting histories of resistance against colonialism, racism and other forms of structural oppression, working collaboratively with others undertaking similar social justice projects, and engaging in ongoing efforts to build a more equitable, diverse and inclusive organization and archive. We recognize that this work is necessary, challenging, and never complete.

In the spirit of solidarity through learning and critical reflection, we invite our visitors to take some time to reflect on the land they work, learn, and organize on. Some useful resources to begin with can be found here:

https://native-land.ca

On Oppressive Language and Viewpoints

Rise Up! Feminist Digital Archive is actively committed to the digitization and preservation of all materials (texts, images, audio and visual recordings) related to every aspect of feminist activism in Canada from the 1970s to the 1990s. Our website also contains some material dated before 1970 and after 1999, as well as interviews conducted in the present or recent past.

We fully acknowledge that some of our historical materials contain language or express opinions that are or may be considered offensive and unacceptable not only by today’s standards of an inclusive ethics but also by those of the past. Certain items contain explicitly violent–including sexually violent–content that may create discomfort or trigger trauma in some readers and/or viewers.            

Given our mandate to preserve the historical record, we have not deleted, revised or otherwise censored the oppressive language, terminology, imagery, or viewpoints articulated or implied in any items. Doing so would amount to an erasure of this history. Like other archives, we note the importance of including material that contains oppressive content because such material has historical value, and enables an examination of the darker, and often neglected or less-explored, chapters in history. 

Following the premise that one can use items of intolerance and oppression to teach respect and acceptance, Rise Up! also intends to create opportunities for dialogue and critical reflection of materials in our archive that contain discriminatory or hateful language or imagery. We recognize the need to engage in such examinations in a concrete and ongoing way. 

Gender-Diverse Inclusivity Statement

The Rise Up Feminist Digital Archive is committed to addressing all forms of oppression in our archive, structures, membership, and practices, as stated in our commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and our Solidarity Statement. This includes creating an organization that respects and is in solidarity with 2SLGBTQI+ people. In line with these commitments, Rise Up has developed internal guidelines to educate volunteers and staff about gender diversity and 2SLGBTQI+ identity, and laid out a set of practices intended to ensure the inclusion of, respect for, and safety of gender-diverse people within our organization.