Missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and members of the 2SLGBTQQIA community were honoured and remembered during a walk organized by fourth-year University of Manitoba Northern Social Work students in Thompson Oct. 4.
Walkers left the Thompson Regional Community Centre and headed around Thompson Drive to Cree Road and then back to the arena, accompanied by Grade 6, Grade 7 and Grade 8 students from Wapanohk Community School and other community members.
“Indigenous women are 12 times more like to be murdered or go missing than any other women in Canada and 16 times more likely than Caucasian women,” said acting director of the Faculty of Social Work in Thompson Greg Fidler, citing statistics from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls final report. Fidler asked the walkers to imagine what it would be like to be one of the family members of missing and murdered women who were among 2,380 people who gave testimony during the two years of the inquiry. “Feel the anger that 2,380 family members feel every day while they wait for answers and closure constantly wondering where their loved ones are. Think about what we’ve done to address this terrible legacy. How do we move towards the light? How do we get rid of racism and discrimination and work together to create a just society? How many more lives do we have to lose before change happens?”
Elder Jack Robinson, who gave the opening prayer, is among those who have lost loved ones.
“I myself have lost four people, two women, to this day I do not know what happened to them,” he said. “We want to honour and pray that one day we will find out what happened to our loved ones. Women were given to us not to own but to love, to cherish, to protect and honour. Today we honour all of our missing and murdered women and girls.”
Mayor Colleen Smook said events like this are the key to learning from the past and building a better future.
“It’s very important to show our strength for the people and families that have lost people, to share in the memories of the ones gone but also to protect all of us that are here today,” she said. “I believe by having the gathering we at least acknowledge and more and more take ownership of what has happened in the past so we don’t let it happen again. It’s our duty as people, all of us together, to make sure that this does not continue and the genocide of the past does not continue to happen.”
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) is hosting a free feast and candlelight vigil for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people at Riverlodge Place in Thompson beginning at 5:30 p.m.
“Oct. 4 is a very important day,” said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee in a press release. “It is a day that we honour the spirits of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two Spirit, and gender diverse people. I’m thankful that MKO is able to host this gathering to support families and loved ones on their healing journey. I want to assure family members and loved ones that I will do my utmost to pressure government leaders and policy makers to implement the 231 Calls for Justice that were released in June by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. As the grand chief of MKO I have the political will to create mechanisms for Indigenous women and girls and Two Spirit and gender diverse people to reclaim their power and place.”
