Research Excellence Award 2020: Robert Harding is recognized for his extensive work – UFV Today

May 18, 2020

Three decades ago, in a different life, professional actor Robert Harding sat with a friend — one of New Zealand’s top Maori actors — watching a news report showing Indigenous peoples protesting Columbus Day on New York City streets.

“Pete turned to me, and said, ‘What’re the Indians so upset about, mate?’” Harding recalls. “When I began to launch into a description of some of the disastrous effects of colonization, he cut me off and said, ‘I get it, Robert. We’ve been through pretty much the same movie here in Aotearoa.’”

That was the moment Harding realized that what had happened to Indigenous peoples in Canada was core to the experience of being Indigenous around the world.

Decades later, and with a long list of accomplishments behind him, Harding is being recognized with UFV’s Research Excellence Award for his work on Indigenous issues.

Read More: https://blogs.ufv.ca/blog/2020/05/research-excellence-award-2020-robert-harding-is-recognized-for-his-extensive-work/