[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/bonnie-freeman.jpg” caption=”Bonnie Freeman, an Algonquin and Mohawk, Bear Clan, from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, was offered a Pre-Doc Fellowship at McMaster and now lectures in clinical social work and policy as it relates to First Nations communities.”]Bonnie Freeman remembers clearly an incident that inspired her to pursue a career in social work.

She was a young adult working at a grocery store, behind the deli counter, and was accustomed to the number of homeless people who showed up at the end of the day looking for bargain scraps of meat. Freeman's fellow employees would make loud, disparaging remarks and mock them.

“It was very sad that my fellow workers would treat someone like that,” Freeman says in her soft voice. “Gradually, I came to recognize the regulars. There was one man who came in every day. He was unhappy looking, and never said a thing, but I would say 'Hi' and smile at him, make a casual comment about the meats or the weather. He always ignored me, just picked up what he needed and left. This was our pattern for some time. One day, he approached the counter while I was working on something and had my back to him. Suddenly, I heard a voice say, 'Aren't you going to say hi or even smile at me today?' I spun around and there he was. It was the first time I heard him talk. It blew me away how something as simple as a smile and a 'hello' could have such an impact on someone.”

The experience stayed with Freeman, an Algonquin and Mohawk, Bear Clan, from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, and from that moment she was committed to a career in which she could help people and advocate for them. After getting her Bachelor of Social Work, in 2003, she did her master's in social work, and followed that with a PhD in 2005 at Wilfrid Laurier University, Faculty of Social Work. And then an unusual opportunity presented itself: She was offered a Pre-Doc Fellowship, a newly established program designed to nurture and support an aboriginal person engaged in social work studies. Freeman accepted, and now lectures in clinical social work as well as in policy as it relates to First Nations communities, cultural knowledge and traditions, anti-oppression and aboriginal activism. Her dissertation research is focused on aboriginal youth reclaiming identity and well-being through cultural activism.

“Social work is not just about counseling, it's much broader; it's about social justice, advocacy and policy,” says Freeman. It's also about advancing aboriginal students, and Freeman agrees that youth need to see their culture and people represented in academia to nudge them toward higher education.

The Pre-Doc Fellowship Program for Aboriginals is unique to McMaster, says Charlotte Yates, dean of Social Sciences.

“This program is an important step forward for our Faculty and McMaster University,” she says. “It allows us to recruit some of the top aboriginal scholars in Canada – such as Bonnie Freeman – and builds our capacity to reach out to aboriginal communities and pursue our goals of social justice and equality. Bonnie is a wonderful addition to our Faculty, and we look forward to supporting her in her research, teaching and community involvement.”

Once Freeman has completed her education she will transition into a tenure track faculty position.

For Freeman, the Fellowship is more than a pathway into a teaching position. She sees herself as an ambassador and role model who can encourage aboriginals and non-aboriginals at the high-school level toward post-secondary education. She also wants to educate non-aboriginals about First Nations tradition and experience.

“I personally think all first-year students should take a course in Indigenous Studies,” she says. “There is such a lack of awareness and knowledge regarding First Nations people, even about the location of Six Nations, which is not so far from campus! Aboriginal people are not relics of the past. We are alive and well, and contribute so much to society.”