On February 14, thousands gathered as a community to march through the Downtown Eastside (DTES) to commemorate Indigenous women.
Since 1992, the Vancouver community has gathered to march in honour of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. This year marked the 34th march.
Before the march officially began at 12 p.m., people gathered to hear personal testimonies from women directly affected by these tragedies.
“1999 I think was the last time it was on the sidewalk,” said Carol Martin, a Nisga’a woman who has been advocating for First Nations women for decades. She recalls the early years of the march, where there were only a few participants marching around the blocks of downtown. In recent years, the march has garnered thousands of supporters.
At the media event, she reminded reporters that the memorial march is not about division, but about “women and all women who identify as such.”
This year’s march is particularly meaningful for Martin, whose daughter was lost to a stabbing attack, where she was then put on left on life support. Martin said her daughter’s perpetrator was never charged as a result of the Mental Health Act. But she also emphasized that there were other factors like a lack of mental health support that led to her daughter's death and often other instances of violence in the DTES.
“I think the justice system really needs to look at how they deal with the victims and the people who either damage, kill or maim our women,” said Martin.
“I will still look for justice for her.”
Maura Gowans, another speaker, echoed Martin’s statements. Like Martin, has been a part of the Women’s Memorial March for countless years.
She lived in the foster care system as a teenager and has witnessed many women go missing or murdered around her. She also testified during the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Despite testifying during this inquiry, she said that there have been “no changes.”
She marches and dedicates her life to making a difference for not only her sons, but for the safety of all young girls and women.
“We’ve done this for 34 years and we need justice,” she said.
Alongside these women was also Indigenous leader and MLA Joan Phillip, who has been attending the marches with her husband, Stewart Phillip.
“I was 13 years old when I was brutally raped and beaten,” she said. Had it not been for the witnesses nearby, Phillip believes she would have easily become another one of the statistics of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Her husband has been participating in the march for almost 25 years to support this global issue. “There’s a very predominant racist notion that Indigenous women and girls don’t matter,” he said. He believes that this needs to be changed, not only at the government level, but also at a local level that involves educating children at the dinner table.
The march then began in front of the Carnegie Community Centre with stops throughout the DTES to commemorate where women were last seen or found.
“Our issues have not been addressed,” said Martin.
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