Free Press columnist named peace educator of year

University of Manitoba associate professor (and Winnipeg Free Press columnist) Niigaan Sinclair has been named peace educator of the year by a bi-national network of educators, academics and peace activists.

The Peace and Justice Studies Association, which is housed at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., honoured Sinclair during an award luncheon Sunday, during a meeting in Winnipeg between the PJSA and the Peace and Conflict Studies Canadian Association.

The PJSA also honoured Sinclair’s daughter, Sarah Fontaine-Sinclair, with the next generation peacemaker award.

“Peace is not something easily gained but through hard, frank and — at times — uncomfortable engagements with the truth,” said Sinclair, an associate professor in the U of M’s faculty of Native studies.

“I am honoured to be recognized, alongside my daughter, as someone who loves this place enough to try to make it the best place it can be.”

PJSA president Michael Loadenthal said the non-profit organization “believes in recognizing the key contributions of our members and allies.”

“The annual conference, including the awards ceremony, allows us to briefly highlight the amazing work of our community and to reflect on our collective strives towards a more just and peaceful world,” he said.