Support Our Walk to Honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirits
Sunday, May 5th, also known as Red Dress Day, is the National Day of Awareness For Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirits. On May 3rd, Enviros will be walking 10km through Edworthy park beginning at 9:30am to honour the thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two spirits who have gone missing or been murdered. Proceeds from the walk will be donated to Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society. The name Awo Taan means “shield” in the Blackfoot language. The shelter embodies a protective shield for women and children fleeing family violence.
Enviros has had the privilege of working with Elders who have come into our organization and led ceremony for us, while teaching us with a grace and kindness that has had a major impact on Enviros, our people and our service delivery. As we continue on our journey of learning, they are imperative to our growth and we are excited to look at different ways to give back to Indigenous communities. Sponsoring one of our walkers, or the group as a whole, will allow us the opportunity to contribute to the community in a meaningful way on Red Dress Day. Each donation that we receive, no matter the amount, is welcomed and appreciated.
“Since the release of the seminal report from the MMIWG National Inquiry, we have yet to see real, on-the-ground changes to end violence against First Nations women, girls, and gender-diverse people. AFN’s MMIWG Sector advocates for the full implementation both of the Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice, and the National Action Plan to End Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.” -Assembly of First Nations-
Additional Learning
Helen Osborne, Felicia Solomon & Sindy Ruperhouse
Helen Betty Osborne
19 years old
Helen Betty Osborne was a 19-year-old Cree student from northern Manitoba who dreamed of becoming a teacher. On November 12, 1971, she was abducted by four white men in the town of The Pas and then sexually assaulted and brutally killed. A provincial inquiry subsequently concluded that Canadian authorities had failed Helen Betty Osborne. The inquiry criticized the sloppy and racially biased police investigation that took more than 15 years to bring one of the four men to justice. Most disturbingly, the inquiry concluded that police had long been aware of white men sexually preying on Indigenous women and girls in The Pas but “did not feel that the practice necessitated any particular vigilance.”
-Report of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba: The Deaths of Helen Betty Osborne and John Joseph Harper, Commissioners A.C. Hamilton and C.M. Sinclair, 1991.
Felicia Solomon
16 years old
Felicia Solomon, a 16-year-old cousin of Helen Betty Osborne, was reported missing after she failed to return home from school in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 25 March 2003. In June 2003, body parts were found that were later identified as Felicia Solomon’s. Her killer has not been found.
-Amnesty.ca - Stolen Sisters
Sindy Ruperthouse
44 years old
Sindy Ruperthouse, an Algonquin woman from the Pikogan community in northwestern Quebec, was last seen April 23, 2014, at the hospital in Val-d'Or, Que. The 44-year-old had been injured with multiple broken ribs.
Her parents allege she was beaten by her boyfriend — who they have since written to, begging for information.
In 10 years, her father Johnny Wylde has never changed his phone number.
He says he never will. Wylde thinks there's only a one per cent chance she's still alive.
-https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/sindy-ruperthouse-disappearance-10-years-missing-indigenous-women-and-girls-1.7186706