Now You Know Me: Seeing the Unhidden Truth in Settler Colonialism
featuring k'ʷunəmɛn Joe Gallagher (BA '87, Hon. LL. D. '19) and John Matterson

Hosted by Dr. Tammy Hopper, Dean of the Faculty of Health, this special event brings together UVic distinguished alumnus k'ʷunəmɛn Joe Gallagher and John Matterson for a conversation about their powerful new book, Now You Know Me: Seeing the Unhidden Truth in Settler Colonialism.

The book shares the journey of two friends who grew up in the same small town of Powell River, BC, on the traditional territory of the Tla’amin Nation, but in very different worlds. Decades later, their reconnection sparks an honest dialogue about truth, reconciliation, and the deep work of understanding across cultures.

A moving testament to friendship and courage, Now You Know Me celebrates Gallagher’s distinguished career in Indigenous health and wellness, offering valuable insights for health professionals, educators, and anyone seeking meaningful pathways toward reconciliation.

Event Details
Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Time: 7 – 8 p.m. PST

Attend in Person
Location: MAC A144, David Lam Auditorium
A reception with light refreshments and an opportunity to meet the authors will follow from 8 – 9 p.m.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event—explore the book here. 

Attend Online
Join the conversation live via Zoom or register to receive the post-event recording to watch at your convenience.

Meet the Speakers:

k'ʷunəmɛn Joe Gallagher (BA '87, Hon. LL. D. '19) is Coast Salish from the Tla'amin First Nation and has been a leader in Indigenous health and wellness for decades, serving as the first CEO of the First Nations Health Authority. He currently holds the role of vice-president of Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety at the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC. He proudly represented the ɬaʔəmen Nation in the highly competitive First Nations Soccer circuit and played at an elite level with the University of Victoria and with several teams in the Vancouver Island Premier league. 

John Matterson is a white settler of English ancestry who held executive roles in the BC forest industry and global technology companies, living and working in Michigan, California and Singapore. He is retired and taking on the challenge of Parkinson's disease which he was diagnosed with in 2015. He is looking to make a difference by opening his, and other people’s eyes, to his experiences with Parkinson’s and to the unearned privilege he has received as a white man growing up on traditional First Nations Land.

Kate Jongbloed (moderator) is a white occupier living on the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and Səlíq lwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She is an epidemiologist and mixed methods health researcher with 15+ years of experience documenting and responding to the impacts of settler colonialism on health and wellness. She is currently a senior scientist at the BC Centre for Disease Control working to grow and "unlearning and undoing white supremacy and Indigenous-specific racism lab" (U&U Lab) for population and public health in BC. She is adjunct faculty in the School of Public Health and Social Policy and an associate with Qoqoq Consulting Ltd. 

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