[Iswg3906.organizers] 9th Annual Strawberry Ceremony for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

[Jessica Foran]

hey again all,

the annual strawberry ceremony is coming up on Feb. 14th and i'm wondering
if anyone is interested in going? perhaps we could use the car share... i
know danielle b. posted about looking for a ride from hamilton and perhaps
others may also be interested.

also, this message seeking endorsements and other assistance was posted to
the page recently:

"Please let us know if your organization would like to endorse this event
or can support financially for things like tokens, sound system, feast etc.
Volunteers are needed to help with postering and on the day of. Please
inbox me if you can help!"

The facebook page is public so you should be able to see the details, but
just in case the info is below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/578758638867662/


*9th Annual Strawberry Ceremony in Honour of Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women and those who have died Violent Deaths by Colonialism*
Strawberry Ceremony with Wanda Whitebird begins at 12:30(-1:30) Police
Headquarters 40 College Street at Bay, Toronto

Community Feast catered by NaMeRes at the 519 Church Street Community
Centre; 519 Church Street following the rally.

Please leave your agency banners and organization signs at home and make
some in honour of women who have died instead.

Tokens will be available at the rally.

Three Indigenous women have died violent deaths in Toronto since last
year's ceremony. This has led No More Silence to create a community owned
database to document and investigate such deaths in collaboration with
Families of Sisters in Spirit and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network

We continue to raise our voices in denouncing the racism and complicity of
state institutions and we support the demand for a national public inquiry
led by Indigenous grass roots women and supported by a United Nations
Investigation into Missing & Murdered Indigenous women in Canada

According to research conducted by the Native Women Association of Canada
(NWAC) under the Sisters In Spirit Program, over 600 Indigenous women have
been murdered or gone missing, most of them over the last 30 years.

Despite clear evidence that this is an ongoing issue, the federal
government decided in the fall of 2010 to end funding to Sisters in Spirit.
Instead monies in the amount of $10 million have been dedicated to a
central RCMP missing person centre. The same institution - who, along with
the Vancouver Police Department, failed to properly investigate Pickton in
1997 - was at the centre of a public inquiry in Vancouver. The sham inquiry
into the failed Pickton investigation has since been completed with no
consequences for any guilty parties and was boycotted by 20 of the 21
groups who were granted standing due to the denial of adequate funding for
legal defense.

Pickton, who was convicted for six murders, has admitted to killing 49
women. A total of 18 murders occurred after he was arrested and released
for the attempted murder of a sex worker in 1997. This is blood on police
hands, yet RCMP officers testifying at the sham inquiry state “there are
few things they would change about how they did their work.”

It should come as no surprise that the Committee to End Discrimination
Against Women at the United Nations has visited the country to investigate
Canada's missing and murdered Indigenous women.

On February 14th we come together in solidarity with the women who started
this vigil over 20 years ago in Vancouver's DTES, and with the marches and
rallies that will be taking place across this land. We stand in defense of
our lives and to demonstrate against the complicity of the state in the
ongoing genocide of Indigenous women and the impunity of state institutions
and actors (police, RCMP, coroners' offices, the courts, and an indifferent
federal government) that prevents justice for all Indigenous peoples.

No More Silence began holding ceremony at police headquarters on February
14th 9 years ago. 2 years ago we formed the February 14th Organizing
Committee in an effort to broaden community participation in the planning
of the event - the committee is made up of The Native Youth Sexual Health
Network<https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Native-Youth-Sexual-Health-Network/154777717651>
Sistering
and other feminist and Indigenous community organizations.

Endorsed by: Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women against Rape;
Toronto Bolivia Solidarity;DAWN Ontario DisAbled Women's Network Ontario,
OCAP, Centre for Women's Studies in Education at OISE, Native Women's
Resource Centre of
Toronto<https://www.facebook.com/pages/Native-Womens-Resource-Centre-of-Toronto/292090724136835>
 Maggies TO <https://www.facebook.com/maggies.to> Toronto Council Fire
Native Cultural Centre <https://www.facebook.com/Toronto.Council.Fire>,
Anduhyaun, Ontario Aboriginal HIV Strategy, Toronto Council Fire Native
Cultural Centre Sexual Assault Survivors Support Line at York, No One is
Illegal, Idle No More Toronto
<https://www.facebook.com/idlenomoretoronto>Indigenous
Waves <https://www.facebook.com/indigenouswaves>, The Women's Coordinating
Committee for a Free Wallmapu [Toronto], Independent Jewish Voices, Women
and Gender Studies Institute at U of T, OPIRG Toronto, Rising Tide, LEAF
(Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund), Anti-Colonial Committee, Law
Union of Ontario, The Gender Based Violence Awareness group (OPIRG York,
CWTP @ York, York Grad. Students Association, Trans Feminist Caucus of CUPE
3903, SASSL), CAW Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy, Ryerson
University, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Bathurst United Church
Social Justice and Community Engagement Committee, Women in Solidarity with
Palestine,
International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Canada, Shameless Magazine


Financial Support:

CUPE Toronto District Council, Independent Jewish Voices, Women and Gender
Studies Institute at U of T, CAW Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and
Democracy, Women in Solidarity with Palestine, International Jewish
Anti-Zionist Network, Canada, Bathurst United Church Social Justice and
Community Engagement Committee,

Printing by Opirg York <https://www.facebook.com/opirgyork> and the
Aboriginal Students' Association at York
Check out the No More Silence blog for video and audio of our past work:
http://nomoresilence-nomoresilence.blogspot.ca/

List of Feb 14th Memorial Marches in other communities:
http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/national
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