Susan Aglukark Voices Her Support
at Peel Fundraiser
For Interim Place
"Her Life, Her Words"

Brampton 27 June 2008 - Interim Place has been providing support services for women in the Peel region who face domestic violence and abuse for over 25 years, by operating 2 emergency shelters and providing shelter, support, counseling and advocacy to help women and their children break from the cycle of abuse.

Their annual signature fundraising event, "Her Life, Her Words", a luncheon series featuring high profile women keynote speakers, wrapped up yesterday with Inuit singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark.

Susan Aglukark blends Inuit music traditions with pop songwriting that has made her a major recording star in Canada. She combines the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada. Susan has won many awards including 3 Juno Awards and several Juno nominations, the first-ever Aboriginal Achievement Award in Arts and Entertainment and the Canadian Country Music Association's Vista Rising Star Award among many. She has recorded 6 albums to date that have sold over 400,000 copies in Canada. In 2005 Susan was awarded the Order of Canada for her contribution to Canadian music and for her work as a mentor in the Aboriginal community.

While she is proud to be a role model for Aboriginal people in Canada, she ultimately sees herself as an artist with a universal message of self-respect and strength to which she hopes that people of all cultural backgrounds can relate. Given the shocking fact that Aboriginal people are 3 times more likely to be victims of spousal abuse than those who are non-Aboriginal (21% vs. 7%), Ms. Aglukark is a natural to speak to Interim Place supporters.

Following a delicious buffet lunch, Susan Aglukark ascends the stage. She is petite, passionate and polished. She begins by empathizing with those who have a need for Interim Place services. "I am Inuit, Aboriginal, from First Nations. I left my family on bad terms in 1992 and so I can relate to how it is to start over again and pick up the pieces of your life". "I needed to get away to rediscover myself. If I'd stayed, I'd have been very caught up in an unpleasant part of that life".

Susan moved from the Arctic to Ottawa where she worked giving talks about Inuit life. "We ended up making a documentary in Hull, Quebec, about contrasting lives to be shown in schools in the area. I was asked to sing and thrown into a whole new journey".

Although she did not yet think of herself as a singer/songwriter, her journey continued and she cut her first CD, Arctic Rose. "My songs were about very personal things I'd left back home. It was a scarry time for me with the CD, video and tour – I'd never spoken in public before. We were preacher's kids and had a very sheltered life".

While she was on tour with Arctic Rose, Susan received continuous calls from major recording labels, which she always declined. "But then I realized what an incredible opportunity I was having. And that was stronger than my fear. So I went to Toronto, met with EMI Recording Studios. I told them that I wasn't what they thought I was, but I was willing to take a chance with them if they were with me. I knew I couldn't turn my back on this opportunity; I had to overcome my fear of the unknown".

At the same time, Susan started collecting music by other artists about the stage she was in at that time of her life. To illustrate, she sang one of her first songs, 'Suffer in Silence',which included lyrics 'When you're hiding, doesn't it hurts deep, you don't have to suffer, suffer in silence'.

Her voice is crystal clear, true, meaningful, strong. She transports everyone in the audience of over 200 with her emotion and clarity of voice.

While she was on tour with her first album, she realized "then and there that this was the people's career, not mine. It was all about my expeience as an Aboriginal.. That's when I wrote 'O Siem' – We Are Family. It was the start of something new for me. Everything about it was right and it's still one of my favourite songs". As Susan sings 'O Siem' for us, it's meaning is clear and poignant, even though the lyrics are all in Inuktitut; 'We all are family; we're all the same'. Her voice is passionate and haunting.

"Instinct played a large roll for me and I was able to gradually grow into my career. The birth of my son led me to question what I was passing down to him – my fears or my success. I didn't want him to have my fear, so I finally accepted what my hearts longing really was – a career for the woman that career was making me. That was the first step of my healing path. I knew then that I'm worth it and all the negative thoughts were wrong. From then on I knew that I liked the person I'm becoming. And I realized that the gift and the resonsibility I had in my son – these two things were my priorities".

Susan Aglukark closed with her famous and moving Inuit version of 'Amazing Grace'. And her final words, " What you leave with, what you take away – realize, if you have children, it's all about them; these children need to be protected".

brampton.com is proud to be a media sponsor of this event, to support Interim Place and their goal of ending violence against women through responsive, accessible services, and to address conditions that create violence in the lives of women and children throughout Peel Region.

To access Interim Place services visit http://www.interimplace.com/, 905 403 9691.

The Shelter 24 Hour Crisis Line is 905-403-0846 or 905-676-8515.


Written by Marcia Barhydt for The Brampton News
Copyright 2008 Brampton Media Corp