Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) –
Mistahi: “We are all Palestinian”
Mistahi was born and raised in Saskatoon, Canada as part of a poor neighbourhood. He was exposed to common problems that are familiar to most in the working class. Everyday he walked by a homeless shelter to attend elementary school. By the time he made it to high school drugs and alcohol were all around and a problem for the youth. The poverty of First Nations peoples and the rampant abuse by the police left an indelible mark on his consciousness. The police murdered one of his classmates by dropping him off on the outskirts of town on a cold winter’s night, a practice known as “a starlight tour.” Mistahi moved to Winnipeg when he was 17 years old and quickly joined the youth and student movement as a senior in high school. Swept up by actions around the demand “education is a right,” he and many youth gained firsthand knowledge and experience on how to stand up for themselves together as an organized force.In his early 20s, Mistahi attended Algonquin College to become a licensed carpenter and has since worked in construction.