Members of the UWindsor community are mourning the Nov. 4 death of Murray Sinclair, Anishinaabe senator and former judge who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Windsor in 2016.

Dr. Sinclair chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he participated in hundreds of hearings across the country and released its report in 2015. He was appointed to Canada’s Senate in April 2016, after 25 years serving the justice system in Manitoba. Sinclair was that province’s first Aboriginal judge and just the second in Canada. According to a report by APTN News, a sacred fire has been lit outside the Manitoba legislative building to mark his passing.

Jaimie Kechego, learning specialist in the field of Indigenization for the Centre for Teaching and Learning, says words from Sinclair resonate with her as she helps guide the University on its journey toward Indigenization.

“Senator Sinclair said: ‘Each day you have to put effort in to maintain that relationship and also to change the relationship as things come up between you,’” Kechego says. “We have had our bumps and sometimes bruises on our hearts from those bumps, but we must keep showing up and putting our collective effort into Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. We need to make sure we are preparing the future to be ready for the next seven generations, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

“Baamaapii, Honourable Senator Murray Sinclair. Travel well.”