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PDG Nancy introduced Sean Rayland, whom she met at “the cabin”. He is an ex-gang member, an ex-addict, a recent college graduate and the owner of Red Rebel Armour, which is an indigenous-led social enterprise that was founded in 2018. It manufactures authentic Anishinaabe streetwear and provides apparel printing services to fund the social purpose of reducing recidivism by creating jobs for indigenous people experiencing the criminal justice system. Sean introduced himself as a member of the Eagle Clan and expressed his pleasure at being able to share with the Rotary Club what he is doing. He explained that Anishinaabe, the name of the nation of his people, translates to “the ones that were lowered”. His PowerPoint presentation began with an image of their attractive “strawberry sage hoodie” which is described by the company’s marketing manager as being “rooted in love, medicine, and healing. The gentle touch of grandmother moon glistening upon your face, the smell of sage burning reminds you of peace, and the bitter-sweet taste of strawberries fills your heart with unconditional love.” Following his release from prison (where he had earned his Grade 12) Sean took on various jobs in business, learned business skills online, took a course on Social Innovation and Community Development at Red River Community College and used the resources of the staff at RRCC to start his own business – Red Rebel Armour - in the basement of his home. The vision of his company is to create as many jobs as possible in the areas of sales, marketing, design and production while applying the spirit of truth and reconciliation, culture reclamation, social justice and inter-generational healing. The Red Rebel Armour’s fulfillment centre is currently located in the Social Enterprise Centre at 765 Main Street in Winnipeg (where a number of other social enterprises are located as well). The company’s “tribe” currently includes the owner-operator (Sean), a design manager, marketing manager, production manager (their first prison-released employee), heat press operator, and a Shopify assistant (to handle online sales). Their streetwear reflects indigenous learning - like a red sweater that honours murdered and missing indigenous women (20% of its sales is donated to the organization “Drag the Red” – a community volunteer organization). Company staff believe that “People experiencing the criminal justice system have value and the power to transform their lives, families and communities.”, even though there are many barriers that face indigenous people upon being released from prison. Offering employment to them addresses one of the barriers. Through his own experience, Sean has learned how to function in society in a healthy way. The workplace he has created incorporates an indigenous world view. A report released in 2016/2017 by Statistics Canada indicated that although indigenous men represent 15% of Manitoba’s population, they make up 74% of those incarcerated. In the 6 months since the Red Rebel Armour’s employment program has been implemented, Sean estimates that in addition to the personal, cultural and spiritual benefits that the hired ex-prisoner experiences, the employment program has saved the federal government $57,500. Since November, the products of Red Rebel Armour can be purchased at the Hudson Bay Company. In the discussion that followed Sean’s presentation, we learned the following: Placement of a cultural tag with the streetwear being sold is something the Red Rebel Armour has in its plans. That cultural information is currently on their website (https://redrebelarmour.ca/ ) . Having recently sold a similar business, Iain offered any advice (e.g. working with clothing tags) as well as a large heat press that he was willing to give Sean’s business that could be used as a backup. It took Red Rebel Armour two years getting the financials together before a bank would consider dealing with the company. Sean would be willing to speak to current prisoners about what he has done, what he is doing and how things worked for him. The Jubilee Fund (“Manitoba’s only charitable ethical investment fund offering financial help for local non-profits and social enterprises working to reduce the impact of poverty) was recommended to Sean as a source of funds for when he decides to expand Red Rebel Armour. Cathy, a retired account instructor at Red River College, offered to provide financial advice should it be needed. Mike claimed that the dollar value of the savings to the government of Canada is much higher than the $57,500 Sean had indicated, because he neglected to include his own costs and future costs of that first employee. After the meeting, Chuck offered his truck if Sean accepted Iain’s offer of the large heat press and needed transportation to take it to Sean’s place of business. Bob Eilers thanked Sean for sharing his inspiring story. |
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