Flight of the Hummingbirds
We honour activist and restorative justice advocate Liz Elliot this month with the Hummingbird project. Operatives from Vancouver gathered late last month to stich up 40 hummingbirds, made of upcycled gloves, pipe cleaners, embroidery floss, and the most important ingredient: inspiration. The handmade birds will be part of a special ceremony honouring Dr. Liz Elliot, a criminologist and prison education activist from Simon Fraser University whose work and legacy have profoundly impacted correctional practices and the lives of inmates in the Fraser Valley. Liz passed away in September 2011, and the hummingbird was an important symbol in her work, a small creature capable of amazing feats, a symbol of adaptability and resiliency, of lightness in life.
Sock animal specialist and Vancouver Lead Operative Kat Thorsen dreamed up a pattern and created a prototype , then gathered a group to craft up a batch. Thanks to Vancouver Operatives Lenore, Auntie Lynn, William, Brenda and Laura for your time and talent and helping to stich up a sweet symbol to honour the life of a wonderful woman.
