Vigil to be held for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A vigil honouring Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls and two-spirit persons (MMIWG2S) will take place in Fort St. John next weekend.

The gathering is scheduled for Saturday, October 4th, recognized as the National Day of Action for MMIWG2S, the second day bringing the issue to the forefront following May’s Red Dress Day.

The National Day of Action for MMIWG2S was first recognized in 2006 by the Sisters in Spirit initiative.

The event will coincide on the day following the “Understanding Human Rights: In Fort St. John and Beyond” lecture scheduled for the Lido Theatre.

According to Statistics Canada, Indigenous women are among the highest rates of preventable deaths. 

Between 2009 and 2021, 490 women were victims of homicide – at a rate of 4.27 for every 100,000 women and girls – which is six times higher than non-Indigenous women.

In an appearance earlier this year on Moose Media’s First Nations podcast Before the Peace, activist Connie Greyeyes commented on the increased visibility of MMIWG2S and condemned it as a genocidal act.

“When we have people that commit violent acts against our women, it’s very rarely we have justice for our people,” Greyeyes told host Chris Walker during her interview in April.

Greyeyes, who is the MMIWG2S coordinator for the North for the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSSS), is also looking for donations for pottery-made red dresses to commemorate the event, according to a post on her Instagram account.

The cost for the pottery dresses is $20 per piece, and will go toward 50 pottery dresses for families in memory of their loved ones.

The vigil will take place at the Treaty 8 Tribal Association’s offices in Fort St. John at 10233 100th Avenue, on Saturday October 4th from 4 to 6:30 p.m.