Montrealers march for missing and murdered Indigenous women – McGill Daily

FEBRUARY 17TH, 2014

Demonstrators demand government action, increased awareness

On February 14, over 500 people gathered in the snow at Place Émilie-Gamelin for the annual March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, organized by the Missing Justice Collective. According to organizers’ estimates, it was the biggest march since the collective began organizing it in Montreal in 2010.

The first March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women took place in Vancouver in 1991 after the murder of a First Nations woman. In an interview with The Daily, Bianca Mugyenyi, the Programming and Campaigns Coordinator at the Centre for Gender Advocacy, explained the continuing legacy of the event.

“These marches are meant to symbolize a spirit of women’s resistance, [of] women standing up for themselves – specifically with the goal of being free of violence regardless of race or gender,” said Mugyenyi. “We are trying to generate a public presence, we are trying to generate solidarity, and we want to see less violence in the future.”

Read more: http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2014/02/montrealers-march-for-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women/