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Angela Sterritt

Speaker Featured

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

National Bestselling Author on Indigenous Affairs: Award-Winning Investigative Journalist & Author of Unbroken

Angela Sterritt is an award-winning investigative journalist and national bestselling author from the Wilp Wiik’aax of the Gitanmaax community within the Gitxsan Nation on her dad’s side and from Bell Island Newfoundland on her maternal side. Her book Unbroken, a work that is part memoir and part investigation into the murders and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls, became an instant national bestseller in May of 2023. As a speaker, Sterritt talks about overcoming adversity, breaking stereotypes, and creating change and relationships in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
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The power of story, the power of speaking up, and the power of change.

Angela shares how stories have the power to shape attitudes, and how speaking up, no matter how daunting, can catalyze significant change.

Overcoming Adversity

Angela shares her inspirational journey of strength and resilience.

Inspiring Teachers

Angela’s journey from a homeless teen to a renowned storyteller and educator is a testament to the influence of supportive mentors. She credits her teachers for nurturing her passion for journalism and providing guidance during challenging times.

Angela recognizes the vital role educators play in understanding Indigenous peoples and their cultures, as well as in fostering a sense of community and support.

The Canadian Diversity and Inclusion Deficit

Over the last few years, Canadians were called on to recognize a massive deficit when it comes to Black, Indigenous, and people of colour meaningfully participating in their institutions.

Many companies and organizations have shifted to address the imbalance by hiring new diverse employees. Yet many leaders still struggle with how to change the culture in offices and spaces to ensure everyone feels safe. 

Through her experience as a university professor, an investigative journalist, and an Indigenous author, Angela explores how to create spaces that reflect and honor real diversity and show dedication, in particular, to include and uplift Indigenous voices.

Truth and Reconciliation

In 2021, a significant revelation in Canada brought to light the presence of hundreds of graves on the grounds of residential schools nationwide. This event prompted a collective reckoning with the historical impacts of colonial violence on Indigenous communities.

This keynote explores effective methods for challenging colonial narratives, cultivating reciprocal relationships, and implementing trauma-informed practices across a range of contexts.

Audience reviews:

  • Sterritt's story is living proof of how courageous Indigenous women are. Listen to her voice and hear the sound of the land, hear the sound of our women weeping but also raging—refusing to be neglected or ignored any longer. - Tanya Talaga, author of Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our Relations
  • Angela Sterritt takes on Canada's deeply flawed justice system, deftly exposing systemic racism and the continuing impacts of colonialism. This book is a compelling read and a well-researched and powerful heart-centered memoir. - Lorimer Shenher, author of That Lonely Section of Hell
  • A remarkable life story... Angela Sterritt is a formidable storyteller and a passionate advocate. - Cherie Dimaline, author of The Marrow Thieves

Speaker Biography

Angela Sterritt is an award-winning investigative journalist and national bestselling author from the Wilp Wiik’aax  (we-GAK) of the Gitanmaax (GIT-in-max) community within the Gitxsan (GICK-san) Nation on her dad’s side and from Bell Island Newfoundland on her maternal side. Sterritt worked as a television, radio, and digital journalist at CBC for more than a decade. She hosted the award-winning CBC original podcast Land Back.

Her book Unbroken, a work that is part memoir and part investigation into the murders and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls, published by Greystone Books became an instant national bestseller in May of 2023. Unbroken was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Awards, one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious literary prizes. It is also nominated for the prestigious Hilary Weston Writer’s Trust award for best non-fiction book in Canada.

In 2021, Sterritt won an Academy Award (Canadian Screen Award) for Best Reporter of the Year in Canada for her coverage of an Indigenous man and his then 12-year-old granddaughter who were arrested while trying to open a bank account at BMO. Sterritt also won a national Radio Television Digital News Association award for the same reporting. In 2020, Sterritt was named in Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 list of the city’s 50 most influential people.

In 2020, she was nominated for best local reporter by the Canadian Screen Awards for her reporting on Indigenous babies apprehended by the Ministry of Children and Family Development. In 2019, Sterritt’s documentary on the complexity of Indigenous support for and challenges against the TransMountain Pipeline expansion project won an RTDNA award for best long feature.

In 2017, Sterritt accepted the Investigative Award of the Year from Canadian Journalists for Free Expression for coverage of missing and murdered Indigenous women. She was awarded a prestigious William Southam Journalism Fellowship at Massey College in Toronto and was the first known First Nations person in Canada ever to receive the award in the school’s 60-year history

As a motivational speaker, Sterritt talks about overcoming adversity, breaking stereotypes, and creating change and relationships in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. In 2020, she gave a Ted Talk about smashing stereotypes of Indigenous people.