Sisters in Spirit Vigil tonight at Bishop’s University
As part of a nationwide initiative by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), Bishop’s University will be hosting a Sisters in Spirit candlelight Vigil in front of the Mcgreer building from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight, Oct.4.all candles will be provided.
The vigil aims to raise awareness of the alarmingly high rates of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada; between 1,000 and 4,000 women and girls have gone missing or have been murdered since the 1970s.
Mélissa Poirier, Indigenous Student Support and Community Liaison Officer, invited all to attend the vigil, “to show support, to show that we are united. It’s a movement for social change.” Although they make up only 4 per cent of the female population in Canada, they represented 16 per cent of all female homicides in Canada between 1980 and 2012. This disparity is shocking, which is why Poirier hopes to see people of all backgrounds at the vigil. “Justice has no colour,” she said. The gathering will honour these lost sisters and show support to their families. In the event of rain, the vigil will be moved to St. Mark’s Chapel next to Mcgreer. The event is free of charge and open to all.
Starting off with 11 vigils back in 2006, the NWAC movement has exponentially grown, with an impressive 212 vigils in 2017.
On the lawn in front of the Mcgreer building on the Bishop’s campus, this years’s vigil will host guest speakers and Indigenous singer and drummer Minda Forcier. She will be opening the event with Indigenous song “The Woman Song.” Hot beverages will be served. The Marche Mondiale des Femmes – Estrie committee and members of Concertaction Femmes Estrie will be present.
The vigil is one of many initiatives supported by Poirier and the student-led Indigenous Cultural Alliance (ICA) club on campus.
Just last week, hundreds of members of the community, as well as students and faculty from Alexander Galt Regional High School, Bishop’s College School, Champlain College Lennoxville, and Bishop’s University marched on Orange Shirt Day in honour of the victims and survivors of Canada’s residential schools. On Sept. 21, 53 Bishop’s students bussed to Montreal to attend Mcgill’s First Peoples’ House 17th annual Pow Wow.
The ICA also hosts Indigenous movie nights every Monday at 7 p.m. in Paterson Hall. They watch movies which cover Indigenous topics and issues. Although it is Thanksgiving weekend, they will be viewing Indian Horse, which showcases a Canadian First Nations boy’s struggles to survive residential school in the 1970s on Monday night.
Poirier’s position is quite new, but it has already brought great change to the Bishop’s community. She works as a support officer for the school and regularly meets with Indigenous students and her position ensures more financial support to the school’s Indigenous community.
Students first asked for an Indigenous gathering center in 2012. it was finally granted this year to the ICA and is located in the Centennial Theatre building. It is a room designated for all students, to hang out, have lunch, do their homework, but it is also right next door to Poirier’s office, a reminder that help is always nearby.