THUNDER BAY — Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald was a special guest Tuesday at the Sisters in Spirit Vigil held in Thunder Bay.
Held on the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and Girls, the vigil provides education about the high levels of violence against Indigenous females, but is also designed to help families who have experienced loss due to gender-based violence heal.
The Ontario Native Women's Association (ONWA) conducts the event each year to support and honour the stories, experiences and lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
The vigil at the ONWA offices on Ray Boulevard began with the planting of "forget-me-not" flowers by in-person participants.
People who were unable to attend had the opportunity to participate virtually.
ONWA executive director Cora McGuire-Cyrette delivered the keynote address.
She said the vigil is important because it gives people space to honour those who are no longer here, as well as to honour the families who are in crisis due to the murder or disappearance of a loved one.
"It's that opportunity that began in order to bring awareness to this issue, which is how we ended up with a national inquiry... But that was only the beginning of the work," she said.
McGuire-Cyrette said that's because it's still not safe to be an Indigenous woman in Thunder Bay, or anywhere else in Canada.
"We need to be looking at how to create community safety, changing the systems, to work collectively together. This is not just an Indigenous issue."
She added "It's taken all of us to get to where we are today, and it's going to take an entire community to make this change."
McGuire-Cyrette believes a good place to start is with accountability, as many families are still waiting for answers and for justice for the individuals who have been lost.
She said the Sisters in Spirit Vigil allows family members to gather to discuss progress that has been made.
"When we began this work, probably 15 years ago, there was only a handful of us that were actually coming together on Oct. 4. Now you can see communities all across Canada coming together and talking about the issue, wanting to make change....and looking at how we can make our communities safer."
