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PCHC-MoM is very pleased and excited to co-sponsor a Tea + Bannock event which celebrates and honours Elder Larry Grant, his exceptional life, and his new book entitled Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong. We are happy to be collaborating with the Native Education College and Capilano University for this free event with a book talk and panel presentation with Elder Larry Grant along with speakers Sarah Ling and Scott Steadman at the Fireside Lounge in the Native Education College.
Event Overview
Join us for an illuminating late afternoon gathering where Elder Larry Grant will share his words and wisdom on navigating his Indigenous and Chinese ancestry on the journeys of reconciling and belonging. Come early to purchase Elder Larry Grant’s book Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong followed by the book talk and panel.
Schedule
🗓️ Date: Friday, June 19th, 2026
⏰ Time: 4:30pm Book Sales / 5:30pm Book Talk + Panel
📍 Venue: Fireside Lounge, Native Education College, 285 E 5th Avenue (Google Maps)
About Elder Larry Grant’s Book (from the Publisher)
“Larry Grant’s life is a model of what it means to rise above hardship, transcend preconceived notions, and live life in a good way. I’ve had the honour of meeting him, but this book makes me feel as if I know him. And that is a profound gift.”
— Shelagh Rogers, Honorary Witness, Truth and Reconciliation Commission; broadcast journalist, CBC Radio
A personal and historical story of identity, place, and belonging from a Musqueam-Chinese Elder caught between cultures
It’s taken most of Larry Grant’s long life for his extraordinary heritage to be appreciated. He was born in a hop field outside Vancouver in 1936, the son of a Musqueam cultural leader and an immigrant from a village in Guangdong, China. In 1940, when the Indian agent discovered that their mother had married a non-status man, Larry and his two siblings were stripped of their status. With one stroke of the pen, they were disenfranchised—no longer recognized as Indigenous.
Reconciling is a series of conversations between Larry and writer Scott Steedman as they visit pivotal geographical places together, including the Musqueam reserve, Chinatown, the site of the Mission residential school, the Vancouver docks and the University of British Columbia. Larry tells the story of his life, including his thoughts on reconciliation and the path forward for First Nations and Canada. His life echoes the barely known story of Vancouver and spans key events of the last two centuries, including Chinese immigration and the Head Tax, the ravages of residential school and now Indigenous revival and the accompanying change in worldview.
When Larry talks about reconciliation, he uses the verb reconciling, an ongoing, unfinished process we’re all going through, Indigenous and settler, immigrant and Canadian-born. “I have been reconciling my whole life, with my inner self,” he explains. “To not belong was forced upon me by the colonial society that surrounded me. But reconciling with myself is part of all that.”
About the Speakers
Elder Larry Grant
Larry Grant was born in 1936 to a Musqueam mother and Chinese immigrant father, and he lost his Musqueam status due to a clause in the Indian Act. Reconciling recounts his life, exploring reconciliation and Indigenous revival, framed by significant Vancouver sites and themes like Chinese immigration and residential schools. Currently Elder Larry Grant is the Elder-in-residence at the Justice Institute of BC and the University of British Columbia’s First Nations House of Learning. He holds a President’s Medal from UBC and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Simon Fraser University.
Scott Steedman
Scott Steedman has worked in publishing for 35 years, including roles with Dorling Kindersley, Larousse, Raincoast, and Douglas & McIntyre. He teaches publishing at Simon Fraser University and is co-author of Art for War and Peace.
Sarah Ling
Sarah Ling is an Exhibition and Collections Manager at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver and she continues to be inspired by the work, wisdom and life of Elder Larry Grant.She’s a documentary filmmaker and produced the award-winning film All Our Father’s Relations.
