Now You Know Me
Now You Know Me
Seeing the Unhidden Truth in Settler Colonialism
Now You Know Me tells of a journey of understanding between two old friends who grew up in different worlds in the same small town of Powell River, BC, on traditional Tla’amin land. Joe Gallagher, who is Tla’amin, and John Matterson, who is white, were friends as teenagers but went their separate ways before reconnecting 35 years later and truly getting to know each other.
As John began to listen more deeply to Joe’s history, they journeyed together through the historic events and attitudes that deeply wounded the Tla’amin and their way of life. With each conversation, John’s understanding of Joe’s life and recognition of his own unearned advantages and blind participation in racism became clearer.
In their illuminating dialogue in Now You Know Me, we learn what it took for Joe to straddle two worlds while battling racism, a traumatic childhood, and his father’s warning that he couldn’t succeed in a white world without working twice as hard. Despite ongoing suffering from multigenerational harms, Joe garnered broad respect on his way to becoming CEO of a groundbreaking Indigenous-led health organization, bringing hope and a collaborative spirit to a revolution in health and wellness for BC First Nations.
Today, John is committed to ongoing learning and allyship, while Joe is called on by First Nations leaders as well as senior leaders in health and government as an able navigator of the movement toward Truth and Reconciliation.
k'ʷunəmɛn Joe Gallagher is Coast Salish from the ɬaʔəmen (Tla’amin) Nation. His mom Ann was from the χʷɛmaɬku (Homalco) Nation, and his father Norman was also from the ɬaʔəmen (Tla’amin) Nation. Both ɬaʔəmen (Tla’amin) and χʷɛmaɬku (Homalco) are part of the Ey7á7juuthem(EYE-a-jooth-um) speaking people which also includes the ƛohos (Klahoose) and θaɬaθtuxʷ (K'ómoks) Peoples, and who’s rich territory is the northernmost part of the overall Coast Salish territory. Joe was born in the heart of the ɬaʔəmen territory in a mill town settler colonialists named Powell River and was raised on the Sliammon (ɬaʔəmen) Indian Reserve #1.
Joe has overcome many roadblocks to become a leader on the soccer field, in his community and beyond. He proudly represented the ɬaʔəmen Nation in the highly competitive First Nations Soccer circuit and played at an elite level with the University of Victoria and with several teams in the Vancouver Island Premier league. During his playing days Joe also represented Canada in Futsal. As a community leader Joe has worked with First Nations Peoples in areas of health, governance, community and economic development, business development, intergovernmental affairs, and treaty negotiations.
He was the executive lead in the formation of a new health governance partnership between BC First Nations, the province of British Columbia and the government of Canada. This work, a first for Canada, led to Joe being the founding Chief Executive Officer for the First Nations Health Authority, supporting the health and wellness for the over 200 First Nations. Joe currently holds the role of Vice President of Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety at the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC.
He
has established himself as a visionary Executive Leader building a bridge
between the First Nations and non-First Nations worlds based on cultural values
and principles to advance issues for mutual benefit.
Joe also continues his work today through
his consulting firm Qoqoq Consulting Ltd. (www.qoqoq.ca).
John Matterson is originally from Powell River, BC., and now lives in Tsawwassen, BC. His mother, Kathleen, came to Canada as a teenager from England, and his dad, Dal grew up in the BC communities of Ucluelet and Ladner. John is retired and taking on the challenge of Parkinson's disease which he was diagnosed with in 2015.
John worked in the BC Forest Industry and in Technology companies
holding executive roles with several global companies. He has travelled to over
40 countries and has lived and worked in Michigan, California, and Singapore. As a management consultant, he has helped many
companies grow profitably.
John is an avid golfer and is back playing soccer at 61. He writes a blog on his experiences with
Parkinson’s Disease and on his personal journey of truth and reconciliation: https://shakeitupdotonline.wpcomstaging.com
He
Is looking to make a difference in the world by opening his, and other people’s
eyes, to his experiences with Parkinson’s and to the unearned privilege he has
received as a white man growing up on traditional First Nations Land.
- ISBN-13
- 9780888397829
- Publisher
- Hancock House
- Imprint
- Hancock House
- Publication date
- 1 August 2024
- Format
- Paperback
- Pages
- 304
- Dimensions
- 216 x 140 mm
- Language
- English