Marilyn Ricketts-Lindsay

for BCTF EC Member at Large

My priorities for the BCTF

  •  Working and learning conditions
  • Social and Climate Justice
  • Equity

My relational and communicative approach to doing this work will be very helpful in my duties. Anti-racism and anti-oppression issues are not always well received making it imperative to listen to the concerns of individuals with an openness that will help them feel at ease in discussing these challenging topics.  I will endeavor to share the research and theory in a format that invites dialogue in a safe environment without judgment or critique. This approach is essential for progress because it is based on the understanding that although we all have biases, we’re all at different stages of our learning journey.

Publications

Marilyn Ricketts Lindsay

Support Advocacy, Representation, and Equity

I am a teacher committed to my profession.  My relationship to teaching is inherently connected to my union, my colleagues, and my students, and I humbly submit my name for your consideration for the Executive Committee because my broad and deep experience in and outside of the workplace is unique and important. I believe experience matters, and I feel that mine is a strong and diverse foundation towards a member-centered, engaged union leadership.

The rallying cry I hear most urgently in public education now is the need for fully funded schools, responsive to student needs, and resolution to the unreasonable workload all teachers are currently facing.  Our working conditions are the cornerstone of schools, and it is only by addressing the inadequate protections we and our students face, that we can defend and protect public education.  It is my commitment that if elected, I will support and contribute to a culture that prioritizes our working conditions and our students’ learning conditions.

In my schools, my local, at provincial events, I listen to teachers.  I understand their experiences of untenable working conditions and the harmful cycle that results when instruction and support is interrupted by the teacher shortage, lack of adequate funding, and insufficient collective agreement provisions.  I will work to prepare our union for a round of bargaining where we address our inequitable and stagnant working conditions through strength and solidarity.

I bring experience teaching in remote, rural, urban, Learning Support, and Adult Education to the role of Member at Large.  As an immigrant and a Black woman, a parent and an active union member, I bring much needed intersectional representation to reflect the diversity of our membership.  And as a collaborator, an advocate, and a colleague, I bring passion, creativity, and relational care that is grounded in the lived experiences of teachers, and the tireless defense of public education.

Experience

Provincial:

  • BCTF Annual General Meeting
  • BCTF Representative Assembly (Local Rep)
  • BCTF Bargaining Conference Delegate
  • Professional and Social Issues BCTF Facilitator
  • Anti-Oppression Educators PSA Member
  • BCTF delegate to the CTF Annual General Meeting,
  • BCTF delegate to Tri-National Conference

Local:

  • Surrey Teachers’ Association Executive, Racialized Member at Large
  • Local Representative to the BCTF
  • Surrey Social Justice Contact
  • International Solidarity Chair
  • Resolutions Committee
  • Environmental Justice Committee
  • Political Action / Public Relations Committee
  • Members of Colour Committee
  • Social Justice Directory Committee
  • Surrey Teachers Advocating for Refugee Students Committee
  • Staff Representative

Living, learning, and working with gratitude as an uninvited guest on the unceded, shared, and ancestral territory of the Semiahmoo, Kwantlen, Katzie, and Qayqayt First Nations.

Endorsements

Surrey Teachers’ Association General Meeting

Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators’ Society General Meeting

I am happy to provide an endorsement for Marilyn R-Lindsay for the BCTF Executive Committee Member-at-large position at this year’s BCTF AGM.

I’ve had the pleasure of working on several committees with Marilyn over the past few years including the Environmental Justice Committee, the Resolutions Committee, and the Political Action/Public Relations Committee. We’ve also attended BCTF Rep Assemblies together and I’ve seen her passionately share her compelling reasons for why we need to advocate for better working conditions for teachers and learning conditions for her students.

Moreover, Marilyn is a committed person who is always willing to lend her expertise and support to others. She has a proven track record of building strong relationships and her ability to motivate and inspire others is outstanding!

I have no doubt that Marilyn would excel in this role and would be an excellent choice for the position. Her combination of experience, leadership, and dedication would make her an asset and I wholeheartedly endorse her for the BCTF Member-at-large position. Marilyn, you have my vote! – Marilyn Carr, Surrey Teacher

Marilyn is a leader in within our BCTF community. She brings deep knowledge and strong principles to the work of representation. I’ve worked with Marilyn at the provincial level and in community activism and I believe that Marilyn will bring the same personal and political accountability to the role of the Executive, and that we will be stronger as an organization with her leadership and perspective. The BCTF continuing to be a strong social justice union, committed to equity and justice is essential to VEAES members, and we have confidence in Marilyn’s commitment, willingness to collaborate, lived experience, and principled approach to union work. As a local that represents Adult Educators, it’s important to me that AE voices have a place at the EC table, and Marilyn has worked in, and advocated for, this often excluded group of members. – Jody Polukoshko, Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators’ President

I have been honoured to work with Marilyn as a Surrey EC member, a member of Status of Women Cmte, and having her as the chair this year on our International Solidarity Cmte. I’ve also had the chance to advocate alongside her  both at the CTF AGM in Ottawa and the Trinational Conference  in Defence of Public Education in Oaxaca Mexico. Be it at the classroom level as an LST teacher, supporting members local wide, and bringing forth incredible lived experience as a teacher in Nunavut to her Jamaican roots, Marilyn has a deep understanding of how our structures need to transform, the minutiae of daily struggles of being a teacher, and a strong voice in defence of our rights and equitable workplace conditions. 

Marilyn had been, continues to be, and will be a strong advocate for all BCTF voices. – Annie Ohana, Surrey, Local Rep.

At the BCTF AGM this spring break, I’ll be voting for Marilyn R-Lindsay, someone whose dedication to the goals of a truly public education system guides her teaching practice daily. Marilyn is a deep listener who acts empathically whenever she encounters injustices.

She may not be as famous as that bobsled team that went to the winter Olympics but she is a Jamaican who taught in Nunavut, a demonstration of her capacity to thrive in an extremely wide range of learning and teaching experiences!

Marilyn’s parenting of her two school-age daughters also provides her with a broad perspective and insight into what’s happening in classrooms currently. This perspective and lived experience is critically important and much needed at the BCTF EC table when the decisions are being made that impact all BCTF members. With Marilyn at the table, we can be confident about a brighter future for our union.

Vote for Marilyn Ricketts Lindsay for Member at Large at the BCTF AGM in March 2023! – Lizanne Foster, Surrey VP

It’s difficult to imagine that members of our profession would not yet have been exposed to Marilyn’s prolific impact within teaching and union circles! However, if you will be voting at the 2023 AGM, and you have not encountered Marilyn during her continuous work on behalf of teachers and students, please take a minute to find out about this amazing activist:

Marilyn has been a part of our STA Environmental Justice Committee for several years. Because her activism prioritizes intersectionality, her participation in on our committee has been vital. Marilyn’s involvement in our committee ensures our members’ nuanced understanding of climate chaos, since she brings issues of climate chaos adversely impacting peoples of colour around the world. Marilyn has woven our committee’s concerns into her work building solidarity with educators of colour. Locally, she has been exploring these issues within the Anti Oppression Educators Coalition. During the Tri-National Conference for the Defense of Public Education in Oaxaca, Marilyn was involved in discussions about how climate chaos has affected the lives of students and teachers throughout the americas.

If you are an educator for whom addressing climate chaos is a priority, vote for Marilyn at the 2023 AGM! – Joanna Shniad, Surrey EJC

Marilyn R-Lindsay is an excellent choice for diverse representation in the BCTF Executive Committee. She is committed, passionate, and has an amazing work ethic. I hope you’ll vote for her as Member-at-Large in the coming AGM! – Regie Plana-Alcuaz, Surrey EC

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Marilyn over the last few years while collaborating in union work, but also on a more personal level as our friendship developed. I can say with confidence that Marilyn’s passion for teaching her students is only rivaled by her enthusiasm for making impactful and meaningful progress for teachers in our union. We have had numerous discussions on the working and learning conditions faced by teachers in elementary and secondary settings, and the importance of adequate representation in our union leadership. I value Marilyn’s insights and vast experience, and especially her ability to analyze issues and concepts that affect teachers and students with intelligence, thoughtfulness, and discernment. What I value most about Marilyn’s is her strong moral compass, her ability to do the right thing after careful consideration. Her self-awareness and honesty are commendable in every situation.  Marilyn has my vote for MLA and I hope she has yours too. – Kiran Sidhu, Richmond Teacher

Strong, intelligent, compassionate and wise. These are the four words that perfectly describe Marilyn in my two years of working with her as co-chair of the STA International Solidarity Committee. Also, as the co-chair of the STA AdHoc Member of Colour Committee, I can say that Marilyn has a strong equity, diversity, and inclusion lens, one that is highly needed compared to the work that the BCTF is doing in this area. Marilyn brings a unique perspective from the South as a Black woman who is an activist. Marilyn is definitely a force to be reckoned with and I have no doubt that her addition to the BCTF Executive Committee will lead to changes in a positive direction. Thais Cabral, Surrey Teacher

Passion, dedication and commitment are sought after qualities in any candidate. Not only does Marilyn possess these qualities, she is principled and always looks for ways to work across differences. Marilyn brings genuine respect to her encounters with others, such that she is skilled at having difficult conversations with grace and compassion. Her vast knowledge of the issues facing teachers is a testament to her two-decades long career as a classroom and learning support teacher, having taught in rural and urban settings. Grounded in her lived experience, the leadership Marilyn brings to the BCTF is one that is just, courageous, and relational. She is a beacon of hope in this profession. There is not a doubt in me that members will be well-served by Marilyn on the Executive Committee.

I have known Marilyn for more than 15 years, and since the very first day, I have been touched by her unique character. She is someone whom you can always go to when you need help, and you will never be turned down. Marilyn has been my inspiration and a role model, a mentor who has always been supportive during my journey to becoming a teacher. – Karine Ng, Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators VP

I have known Marilyn for more than 15 years, and since that very day, I have been touched by her unique character. She is someone whom you can always go to when you need help, and you will never be turned down. Marilyn has been my inspiration and a role model, a mentor who has always been supportive during my journey to becoming a teacher.

As a person of color, Marilyn is very understanding and inclusive of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds. No matter what color, language, or background one has, everyone is equal in her eyes, and she treats them with respect and dignity.

She is a tenacious, passionate, and dedicated educator who has demonstrated a strong determination in achieving her goals. Beyond her strong will, lies a calm and caring individual who speaks up against injustice and advocates for the rights and needs of her colleagues and students. Marilyn has shown to be very supportive and has worked tirelessly to assist her students, ensuring that everyone receives the proper support they need to succeed.

I have no doubt that Marilyn will not only bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, but also a strong commitment to advocate for the needs of teachers and ensure the voices of the educators are heard. She is the type of leader that we need to help our education system, and I am pleased to endorse Marilyn Rickett-Lindsay for the position of member at large on the BCTF committee. – Nona Mazinani, Surrey Teacher

I am so proud and excited to endorse Marilyn R-Lindsay for Member-at-large on the BCTF Executive Committee! She is the dynamic, grounded, compassionate, sharp leader that the teachers of this province hunger for. Vote for her this year at the 2023 BCTF AGM! I am happy to chat with any members who want to know more about why I support her wholeheartedly and the values she brings to the table! – Preet Lidder, Burnaby Teacher

I worked with Marilyn for the past two years. Marilyn is a formidable teacher who has an in-depth understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion, a major area of growth for the BCTF. Marilyn is an expert at building deep relations with members and ensure their voices are heard and represented at any table of discussion. A vote for Marilyn is a vote for moving the BCTF Executive Committee in the right direction. Go Marilyn!! – Ziyad Shukri, Surrey Teachers EC and Secondary Teacher.