A local social change group is preparing for the Sisters in Spirit Vigil at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Agassiz United Church.
This is the fourth year the candle-lit vigil has been put on by the group as part of a national movement run by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) to honour missing and murdered Aboriginal women, support grieving families and provide opportunities for healing.
Organizer Debbie Hansen says she wants the vigil to help people learn what the movement is all about. Using NWAC materials and speaking notes, Hansen hopes the event will encourage participants to acknowledge, support and learn from one another.
“This is a Canada-wide movement, and we’re one little small piece in this one small corner of the world that also cares,” she says. “We’re just trying to establish a venue where people can know about this…and show their empathy and learn about whats happened to the Indigenous cultures.”
READ: Agassiz book study aims for discussion and education
Because the movement is national, the local Wrongs to Rights church group will focus their bi-monthly meeting on missing and murdered Aboriginal women and the national inquiry. On Oct. 4 from 1-3 p.m., the All Saints Anglican Church is open to anybody who wants to join the discussion. The talk will be followed by a 5 p.m. potluck dinner at the Agassiz United Church before the beginning of the Sisters in Spirit Vigil at 7 p.m.
After an introductory activity, each participant is given a candle to walk out with. At the end, participants extinguish their candles and walk out in silence.
“Usually we highlight five or six of the missing women and talk about their lives,” says Hansen. “Who were they as people?”
According to NWAC’s 2010 statistics, the number of missing and murdered Aboriginal woman and girls – First Nations, Métis and Inuit – is disproportionately high. Between 2000 and 2008, Aboriginal women and girls represented approximately 10 per cent of female homicides in Canada, yet Aboriginal women make up only three per cent of the Canadian population altogether.
Bringing the issue even closer to home is the fact that a majority of cases occur in Western provinces, with 28 per cent happening in B.C.
READ: First Nations have high hopes for B.C. New Democrats
“We have got to try to make it better,” says Hansen. “The only way you can get reconciliation is for the truth to come out.”
“We want to share information, support people as they go through a tough time and be part of a movement for social change in a positive way,” she adds.
The Oct. 4 Wrongs to Rights study group, United Church potluck and Sisters in Spirit vigil are open to the public.