An aboriginal woman holding the picture of her murdered daughter stands on the steps of Parliament.
A crowd is spread out in front of her, holding up candles to show their support.
As the woman breaks down into tears, describing how her world fell apart when her daughter was killed, a female voice from the crowd shouts up to her, “We are with you, sister!”
The words marked a night filled with tears and cheers, beginning at Parliament Hill and extending to the streets of Ottawa Oct. 4.
The night began with the 7th Annual Sisters in Spirit vigil, and was followed by the Take Back the Night march. This was the first time that both events were held together.
“I think it was meant to happen like this,” said Bridget Tolley, who founded the Sisters in Spirit vigil. Tolley said this was the biggest turnout she’s ever seen.
Originally the events had been planned separately, but on the same date. When the Ottawa Coalition To End Violence Against Women and the Families of Sisters in Spirit discovered the timing, they came together.
“Let’s unite and show them it’s not just violence against aboriginals, it’s violence against all women,” Tolley said. “I wanted everyone, for once, to be together.”
The vigil was a moment where the families of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls came together as part of 163 vigils happening across the country, to remember their loved ones.
To date, over 500 aboriginal women have gone missing or been murdered in Canada.
Oct. 4 is the national day of remembrance for aboriginal women and girls.
“We live in the nightmare of not knowing what [has] happened to our loved ones,” said Laurie Odjick, the mother of Maisy Odjick, an aboriginal girl who has been missing since September 2008. Odjick was one of several family members of the missing and murdered that spoke at the vigil.
Families came from across Canada to speak at the event.
“We try to help these families and do whatever we can,” said Tolley.
Each family held a picture. “Shannon Alexander, Missing since September 2008,” said one. “Shelly Lynne Joseph, Murdered 2004,” said another.
“These are precious lives . . . and we will not rest until we achieve justice,” said the Assembly of First Nations’ national chief Shawn Atleo, who also spoke at the vigil.
He demanded a national inquiry into the missing and murdered aboriginal women of Canada.
“It was incredibly moving and emotional. The only thing that kept me from dissolving into tears were the adorable children who give me hope for the future,” said Miriam Illman-White, a Carleton University English student who attended the event.
The vigil was followed by the Take Back the Night march, where women, and the occasional man, took to the streets of Ottawa to protest violence against women.
“One, two, three, four! We won’t take it any more! Five, six, seven, eight! No more violence, no more hate!” was one cheer that filled the air as the crowd moved through the Byward Market and towards city hall.
Protesters carried signs such as “Women unite! Take Back the Night” and “Wherever we go, however we dress, no means no and yes means yes!”
“I think there is a tendency to silence issues surrounding sexual violence towards women,” said Selina Boan, who minors in women’s studies at Carleton. She said heard about the event through the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) Womyn’s Centre.
Boan carried a sign saying “Break the Silence of Sexual Violence.”
“It shows solidarity amongst women of all backgrounds. It speaks volumes to what we women face,” she said. “It felt powerful to be part of a collective.”
The march ended at city hall, where there were info booths set up to provide information for women needing assistance in dealing with sexual violence, resources, or refuge.
