Melissa Dane is an Anishinaabe-kwe of mixed heritage. She grew up off-reserve in Northern, Ontario where she spent most of her time reading, working, and skating. She has spent the past eight years on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabek in Ottawa, Ontario where she received her BA and MA in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies from Carleton University. Melissa is a queer intersectional feminist who is passionate about Indigenous oral history, language revitalization, and decolonization.
Melissa is an advocate for diversity and literacy. She has spent her time in Ottawa volunteering for literacy programs with children and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. Melissa also spends her time writing fiction that is inclusive of BIPOC and queer identities and volunteers her time with a queer youth writing group in Ottawa.
Melissa has worked for several Indigenous organizations as a facilitator, anti-racism trainer, and researcher. Currently she works for First Nations researching the implications of the Canadian data regime for First Nations Data Sovereignty. Melissa also works as a consultant for several not-for-profits and Indigenous organizations. Her life goal is to educate others and advocate for Indigenous self-determination.