Beginning in 1992 after the murder of a woman on Powell Street in Vancouver, the Women’s Memorial March takes place every Valentine’s Day in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). The march continues three decades on and will take place on February 14th, 2023, beginning at Main and Hastings on the land of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
“Indigenous women, girls, two spirit and trans people disproportionately continue to go missing or be murdered with minimal to no action to address these tragedies or the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, or colonialism…The February 14th Women’s Memorial March is an opportunity to come together to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters and MMIWG2S+ relatives in the Downtown Eastside, remember the women who are still missing, and to dedicate ourselves to justice.” -Women’s Memorial March, 2023
Link to Facebook event: please click here.
Understand and Know the Protocols:
These protocols can be found on the Women’s Memorial March website.
- At 10 am, there will be a family and community remembrance at Main and Hastings.
- At noon, the elders and family members make a circle at Main and Hastings for the prayer circle and then the march proceeds.
- Women elders carrying medicines are at the front, followed by all women elders and family members and women drummers. The quilt made by loved ones in the DTES community is carried behind the family members and drummers.
- Everyone is invited to follow. We ask that you leave your organizational banners at home, signs honouring women’s lives are welcome.
- The march makes a number of stops along the way for ceremony to honour where women were last seen or found.
- At approximately 2 pm we stop again at Main and Hastings for speeches by community members, followed by a healing circle and drummers at Oppenheimer Park around 3 pm, and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall from 4-5 pm.
Attending the march from UBC: Resources, Support, and Transportation: The First Nations House of Learning and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office are collaborating to provide resources, support, and transportation from UBC for anyone planning on attending the march. Find out more here. The schedule for the day is listed below:
- 9:00am: Coffee, snacks and medicine bundle-making in the Great Hall
- 10:00: Smudging and drumming in the Sacred Circle behind the Longhouse. Students, staff and faculty are welcome to bring a drum and share a song.
- 11:00: Bus leaves the Longhouse to downtown
- 11:30: Drop off on Carrall St. near march site
- Noon: March begins. Coffee, tea, snacks, washrooms and supports will be available at the UBC Learning Exchange site (map) for attendees throughout the day.
- 4:30pm: Bus returns to campus
MMIWG2S Memorial March Resources for Indigenous Kin and Non-Indigenous Allies: Created by CTLT Indigenous Initiatives at UBC, these resources can be found here. Please note these were updated in 2022.
Events at UBC:
Indigenous Speaker Series with Sheila North, Wednesday February 15th
Join virtually to hear “My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Higher Calling To Do Better in an Era of Truth, Reconciliation, & Redress with Sheila North”. Sheila North is a Cree leader, journalist, and activist, and is the creator of the hashtag #MMIW. The talk will be held virtually on Wednesday, February 15th from 12:00pm – 1.30pm (PST). Click here to read more and register.
Learn More:
- “Survival, Strength, Sisterhood: Power of Women in the Downtown Eastside” by Alejandro Zuluaga and Harsha Walia: a short film that documents the 20-year history of the annual women’s memorial march for missing and murdered women in Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories. By focusing on the voices of women who live, love, and work in the Downtown Eastside this film debunks the sensationalism surrounding a neighbourhood deeply misunderstood and celebrates the complex and diverse realities of women organizing for justice. (32 mins)
- 2021 MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan and 2022 Progress Report on the National Action Plan
At Xwi7xwa Library:
Xwi7xwa Library currently has a display featuring books on MMIWG2S. Feel free to stop by the branch during opening hours to browse the display. Featured titles include:
“In Keetsahnak / Our Murdered and Missing Indigenous Sisters, the tension between personal, political, and public action is brought home starkly as the contributors look at the roots of violence and how it diminishes life for all. Together, they create a model of anti-violence work from an Indigenous perspective. They acknowledge the destruction wrought by colonial violence, and also look at controversial topics such as lateral violence, challenges in working with ‘tradition,’ and problematic notions involved in ‘helping.’ Through stories of resilience, resistance, and activism, the editors give voice to powerful personal testimony and allow for the creation of knowledge.”
Our voice of fire : a memoir of a warrior rising / Brandi Morin
“Brandi Morin is known for her clear-eyed and empathetic reporting on Indigenous oppression in North America. She is also a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis and uses her experience to tell the stories of those who did not survive the rampant violence. From her time as a foster kid and runaway who fell victim to predatory men and an oppressive system to her career as an internationally acclaimed journalist, Our Voice of Fire chronicles Morin’s journey to overcome enormous adversity and find her purpose, and her power, through journalism. This compelling, honest book is full of self-compassion and the purifying fire of a pursuit for justice.”
“In an intimate, loving approach to the tragic subject of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the acclaimed author of Dreary and Izzy shines a light on the haunting tale of a preteen’s last moments…Juxtaposed with flashes of news, sounds, and videos, Molly’s chilling tale becomes more and more vivid, challenging humanity to not forget her presence and importance.”
Xwi7xwa Library’s MMIWG2S Research Guide: This research guide created by our librarians showcases featured media, books, and reports on MMIWG2S.