The Next Chapter

What's JB the First Lady reading?

The hip-hop artist known as JB the First Lady shares why she's loving The Colonial Problem by Lisa Monchalin.
Jerilynn Webster, aka JB the First Lady, is an Indigenous hip-hop artist, beat boxer and activist from Cayuga and Nuxalk First Nations.

Jerilynn Webster, aka JB the First Lady, is an Indigenous hip-hop artist, beat boxer and activist. She's also an avid reader and is currently reading The Colonial Problem by Lisa Monchalin.

This book connects to the work that I do as an Indigenous young person unpacking Canada's colonial baggage. I thought I knew a lot about our First Nations and our Indigenous issues here in Canada because I'm really involved with my community. And I learned way more. It dug deep into the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Lisa talks about the way forward in our Indigenous communities. It comes down to a quote from Louis Riel. He said, "My people will sleep for 100 years, but it will be the artists who awaken the people's spirit."  I have a lot of hope for the future because of books and people who are wanting to know about Indigenous issues in a real way.

Jerilynn Webster's comments have been edited and condensed.