Walk for missing Indigenous girls October 4 2021- St. Catharines

Walk for missing Indigenous girls October 4 2021- St. Catharines

1097
0
SHARE

Missing Indigenous girls and women is a reminder of the injustices suffered by Indigenous children whose remains were discovered recently on the grounds of closed Indian Residential Schools, says Mary Bowering.

Bowering, a member of Sisters in Spirit – Native Women’s Association of Canada was speaking with Mosaic Edition shortly after a walk to honour missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women.

October 4 is the National Sisters In Spirit Day to honour missing, and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

“Our community has been impacted. My cousin and grandmother were part of the missing and dead.

“We have also had many other missing or murdered women whether Indigenous or not,” said Bowering.

“We are here to bring awareness that our women and our children were missing and murdered,” she said.

“We are hoping to share hope, love, healing, and awareness,” she noted.

The Mohawk Indigenous woman said the walk was carefully selected to pass through an area of St Catharines frequented by the homeless, people suffering from addiction, and those engaging in prostitution.

Sisters In Spirit Day – SIS vigil walk along Gale crescent, St. Catharines.

“We gathered here for a reason because this is a high area of addictions and prostitutions, where men and women go missing and nobody looks for them,” said Bowering.

Indigenous member of the community performs traditional cleansing as the procession went by. Photo Mosaic Edition Edward Akinwunmi.
Indigenous member of the community performs traditional cleansing as the procession went by. Photo Mosaic Edition Edward Akinwunmi.

Bowering advised non Indigenous Canadians – awareness is key to understanding the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

“Educate yourself, attend an event, attend an information session, do your own home work about missing murdered and Indigenous women,” she said.

The children found in unmarked graves in residential schools fed into the story of the missing and murdered, according to the actionist.

She said that when the children were taken, the community became unwell.

NO COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.