Actress Grace Dove throws her support behind B.C. school name change

A graduate of Kelly Road Secondary in Prince George, B.C., who is making a name for herself in Hollywood is shining a spotlight on the controversial issue of changing her old school's name.

Secwépemc actress Grace Dove, who has been in films like The Revenant and will be seen in the upcoming film adaptation of Monkey Beach, says she wants Indigenous teens currently attending the school to know she has their back after racist remarks were posted online following the name-change decision.

"I am just realizing that I have a voice and I can use it," said Dove, who graduated from Kelly Road in 2009.

On Feb. 25, the local school board voted to begin the process of renaming the school Shas ti Secondary School, which means "Grizzly Trail" in Dakelh, the local Indigenous language.

Dove, who said she faced adversity as an Indigenous student during her high school years, said she was excited and pleased to hear about the district's decision despite opposition from people she has known and grown up with all her life. Some people in the community have expressed concerns about losing local history.

"It is a lot of people that I know and friends or family against this change, so it hit a little harder," said Dove.

The actress said given what is happening across Canada in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs' opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline west of Prince George, the name change reflects a nationwide shift toward supporting Indigenous concerns.

"We are feeling all this pushback, all this change, all this rise in our Indigenous voices when it comes to Wet'suwet'en," said Dove. "We are feeling this globally, across Turtle Island, and I think it is coming out sideways in some of these smaller issues".

But another school graduate told CBC she's against the name change because it would mean "changing generations of history" in the community.

"It's a huge part of our community," said Amanda Garden, who is now a parent of a current student at the school. "There's a lot of heart and soul at Kelly Road.

"If they've already changed the name secretly without talking to the kids, what else are they going to change?"

Garden said she did not want this to be an issue around race.

However, Lheidli T'enneh Nation Chief Clay Pountney said he noticed racist comments online the day after the proposal to change the name was approved.

Pountney said his people brought the idea to the school board because they want to showcase their history in that area. 

There are two histories in that area, he pointed out. 

"We have our history that's been there for thousands of years and there is a newer history, and we don't want to step on that either, so we're trying to find a way to collaborate to put them both together," he said. 

Dove said she she hopes the school's new name will help educate people and warm them up to further changes in the future.

"This won't be the last name change," said Dove. "This is such a small piece of a much, much larger picture when it comes to Indigenous issues."