Drawing Justice: Graphic Novels and Human Rights

Associate Professor Duncan McCue is an award-winning CBC broadcaster and leading advocate for fostering the connection between journalism and Indigenous communities. He teaches at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication specializing in Indigenous Journalism and (Story)telling. He is the host of Helluva Story on CBC Radio, and Kuper Island, an eight-part podcast on residential schools for CBC Podcasts. He is also the author of a textbook, Decolonizing Journalism: A Guide to Reporting in Indigenous Communities. Duncan is Anishinaabe, a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation.

Professor Candida Rifkind has a BA (Hon.) in English from Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS), an MA in English from Concordia University (Montreal, PQ), and a PhD in English from York University (Toronto, ON). She is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Winnipeg, where she specializes in alternative comics and graphic narratives, Canadian popular and political writing, and feminist auto/biography theory.

PhD Candidate Mike Auksi, an Anishinaabe and Estonian doctoral candidate in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at McGill University, connected to Lac Seul First Nation and Pelican Lake hockey team, and played for the Lac Seul Eagles and Stars hockey teams. His study on ice hockey in his home community of Lac Seul First Nation is a perfect complement to the graphic novel, Indians Do Cry, part of the SCVN project. His vision of a more collective hockey narrative rooted in First Nations worldviews and values works alongside communities like Lac Seul to overcome some of these barriers.

Sonya Ballantyne (she, they) is a Swampy Cree writer, filmmaker, and speaker based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her work explores contemporary and futuristic portrayals of Indigenous women and girls. Her award-winning projects include the documentary Nosisim (2024 Barry Lank Award) and the graphic novel Little by Little (In The Margins, 2025 Top Ten Title).  Her film The Death Tour screened at Cannes in 2023 with a world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2024. She has also worked as a sensitivity consultant for gaming properties such as God of War Ragnarok.