My brilliant and accomplished PhD friend Shannon Sampert, who escaped the confines of a radio newsroom long ago and is now the first woman to hold the position of Perspectives and Politics Editor at the Winnipeg Free Press, continues to delight me with her depth and insight.
I could spend an hour writing about how proud I am that she left radio, put herself through university and is now a go-to source for political insight across the country. I can hold my own in a conversation with her on the subject of politics but that’s only because, I suspect, she’s holding back for an old friend.
This is the same woman who, as my roommate, drunkenly pulled the tail off my lizard, Puff, and cried when she confessed to me. It grew back.
Her latest column went viral, as it touches on her personal experiences with the residential school system and her analysis of what happened this week and what might occur, now that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report on residential schools is out. It’s worth a few minutes to read, even if just to get caught up on the issue: Winnipeg Free Press.