This February Victorians will gather to remember the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people at the Stolen Sisters’ March.
The march organizers say the event is held for one sole reason. “It’s in remembrance, remembrance of our sisters that have been stolen, and it’s to uplift and show the resilience of our survivors,” said Monique May, a committee member with Stolen Sisters 2S231.
“It’s about reconciliation, a callout to all Canadians to be educated, to denounce and to use their voice.”
This is the 16th edition of the event, which will feature drumming, speakers, and a march through downtown Victoria. In addition to its function as a memorial, the event brings attention to the 231 calls for justice formulated by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released in 2019.
“They are the responses to truths shared by more than 2,380 family members of victims, survivors of violence, experts, Elders, and knowledge keepers during cross-country public hearings,” the Native Women’s Association of Canada stated in an outline of the calls. Since the final report was released in 2019, only two calls have been implemented federally.
But the event's focus is not just to inspire change at the federal level.
“Our focus is on what we can do locally, what calls can we call upon from officials, allies and community members to put in place so we can start doing the work?” said May.
“We can’t sit around and wait for federal, provincial and municipal governments to do that work because it’s failing.”
While the event can be challenging for everyone, it is especially so for many Indigenous people, who have been affected by acts of gender-based violence.
“You can’t speak to an Indigenous person who has not been touched by this genocide. Our federal government stood up in parliament and declared it a national emergency, yet nothing has been done,” said May. She stressed that while the work is difficult it remains essential to spread the word and to seek allyship.
It's a sentiment echoed by May’s fellow community member and ally, Sarah Weeks, who spoke on the importance of attending the event.
“It makes it personal. It really creates that personal commitment to walking alongside Indigenous people and advancing meaningful reconciliation.”
The event has grown since it began in 2009, drawing in more people and increasing supporter diversity.
“Last year it was all ages from kids in strollers, all the way up to our elders. There’s space for everybody,” Weeks said.
“People came from all over the Island, all over the Lower Mainland to stand in solidarity, which was really lovely.”
Despite the growth in attention and participation, organizers emphasized that action is still needed.
“Indigenous women and girls and two-spirited people are at a much higher risk of experiencing violence, experiencing being unalived,” said Weeks.
“We know that Indigenous peoples are often living in less-than-ideal conditions, they are not as represented in post-secondary school, there are all these other factors that stem from colonization that increase the risk.”
While Indigenous people make up only 4 per cent of Canada’s population, Indigenous women account for 16 per cent of female homicide victims and 11 per cent of missing women.
The 16th annual Stolen Sisters Memorial March will be held Feb. 16 at 11:45 a.m. Participants will gather at Centennial Square before marching to the B.C. legislature. Organizers from Stolen Sisters encourage all to participate.
