CEO Tracey Herbert honoured with the Order of B.C.!
We are so proud to share the news that First Peoples’ Cultural Council’s CEO Tracey Herbert was awarded the Order of B.C. on September 20, 2018 at Government House in Victoria.
Tracey has spent 27 years in the service of First Nations communities across the country, motivated by a strong belief that Indigenous peoples must be recognized and respected as experts of their own cultures. She is a member of the St’uxwtews First Nation (Bonaparte Band), located in the territory of the Secwepemc Tribe in the Thompson Okanagan region of B.C.’s interior.
“My passion for language and culture comes from being raised by my grandparents, who instilled the Indigenous values of deeply respecting knowledge keepers, and giving back to your community,” said Tracey. “I have been privileged to have the opportunity to contribute to our Indigenous communities and hold Indigenous people up throughout my career.”
During her 15-year tenure at FPCC, with a small and dedicated team of ten, the number of grants available for language and arts programs has grown, most recently, to a $50-million funding commitment by the provincial government for Indigenous language revitalization. This historic investment has been heralded as a concrete step towards reconciliation by Indigenous leaders in B.C. and Canada.
Tracey has led FPCC in providing funding and resources to communities, monitoring the status of Indigenous languages and developing policy recommendations for First Nations and government. She has also been a tireless advocate of Indigenous language revitalization at all levels of government. Her leadership in language preservation, program development, and language technology tools has shaped policy and influenced government with the introduction of federal language legislation in Canada.
Tracey was nominated for this honour by Wanosts̓a7 Dr. Lorna Williams who said: “Tracey’s greatest legacy is that the Indigenous people’s voice is finally heard in telling their stories in song, art, music, exhibitions, performance and giving voice to how history is told and languages recovered, revitalized and maintained as they want it to be. The walls have been breached thanks to her persistence and respectful collaborations.”
The staff at FPCC congratulate Tracey on this significant honour and look forward to the incredible work that is yet to come under her leadership.
Link to Full Press Release
Link to Tracey’s Bio