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VIDEO: Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy urges Canadians to take online class on Indigenous history

Schitt’s Creek star says 2020 has taught him the importance of relearning history
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FILE – Schitt’s Creek co-creators Eugene Levy and his son Dan (left) arrive on the red carpet at the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto on Sunday, March 1, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

A Canadian-born actor is urging everyone to get educated on Indigenous issues and history in 2020.

Dan Levy, co-creator or the popular Schitt’s Creek, posted a video to Twitter about Indigenous Canada, a free online course from the University of Alberta.

“It’s a 12-lesson massive open online course that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues from an Indigenous perspective,” Levy said.

The actor said he would be hosting question and answer sessions with professors to delve deeper into the materials and learn about past and present issues that many students – including Levy himself – may not have learned in school.

“Because if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to actively relearn history – history that wasn’t taught to us in school – to better understand and contextualize our lives and how we can better support and be of service to each other.”

According to the University of Alberta, the course “course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.” For more information, visit: https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions-programs/online-courses/indigenous-canada/index.html.

Levy’s call comes after a series of ongoing Black Lives Matter protests that in Canada have grown to include racism and police brutality against Indigenous peoples.

This year has also seen a fatal police shooting of Indigenous woman Chantel Moore during a wellness check and a confrontation between police and Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, with police seen on video punching Adam over an alleged expired licence plate.

READ MORE: Shooting victim Chantel Moore remembered as ‘the sweetest soul’

READ MORE: Jagmeet Singh calls for ‘systemic change’ for policing during Port Alberni visit

READ MORE: Charges dropped against Alberta First Nations chief in violent arrest


@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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