Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and GirlsOne
“We know where the problem is and it’s not with Indigenous people. It’s with those in the halls of power who are not vacating the space. And we’ve heard what we’ve always known: Indigenous people have the answers, and continue to have those answers.” - Commissioner Qajaq Robinson.
Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released on June 3, 2019. It reveals persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people.
Indigenous communities have been fighting for the safety, wellbeing, and justice of their people for centuries. The ongoing and intergenerational cultural, spiritual, physical, psychological, and financial impacts of colonization, occupation of stolen land, the residential school system, the Sixties Scoop, and environmental racism are felt deeply and widely across Indigenous communities. With a rate of homicide against Indigenous women and girls that is seven times higher than for non-Indigenous women and girls, the number of deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls is estimated to have reached 1,2000. The Report determines that the crisis is a national genocide, and outlines 231 calls for legal and social justice.
October 4 is the Day of Remembrance and Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Check out these 4 ways you and your branch can engage and support in solidarity on October 4:
Learn and share about the Indigenous land and peoples where your branch is located, and check out the Final Report itself.
Attend the annual October 4th Sisters in Spirit Vigil in your community. Live links so far: Guelph, Winnipeg, Kingston, Montreal, Toronto.
Plug into The Truth Sharing Podcasts or All My Relations Podcast on your way to school, work, or a Girls Club!
Follow and support the work of young, Indigenous women and Two Spirit leaders such as Larissa Crawford (@larissa_speaks, http://larissacrawfordspeaks.com), Arielle Twist (@arielletwist, http://arielletwist.com), and Tunchai Redvers (@denewanderer, http://www.wemattercampaign.org).
