Lead SIS organizer gives voice to Indigenous women at vigil
- Jeanelle Mandes | June 12, 2014
Last week, the Regina City Hall courtyard was filled with over a hundred people holding candles at a candle light vigil called "Taking Back the Night." The event was created at the spur of the moment in support of a young Regina woman who was sexually assaulted around the corner across from city hall.
One of the event organizer's, Debbie House, said it was absolutely amazing the number of people that came to support.
"I don't know what made this vigil stand out so much in this community's eyes but it's gratifying," she said.
The event was to promote community awareness to the issue of violence towards women.
Jacqueline Anaquod was asked to attend to speak on behalf of the Indigenous women.
"I'm very honored they asked me to come and share; when you talk about sexual violence in our communities you need to have an Indgienous women there. She needs to be at the table when these things are discussed because our women are the ones that are overrepresented right now within sexual violence, sexual acts, murders and missing women," said Anaquod.
She has been the lead organizer for the Sisters In Spirit (SIS) group in Regina for three years and hosts a SIS event every October. Every year, they read the names of the missing and murdered Indigenous women in Saskatchewan, and Anaquod says they pray every year they don't have to add anymore women to that list.
"As Indigenous women, we face a lot more barriers & challenges because of racism, discrimination and stereotyping. A lot of the violence that we endured that was perpetuated from those images like for example, the Indian princess or the squaw. Immediately, we're dehumanized and seen as objects," she said.
She added that everyday, she fears when her teenage daughter walks out the door.
"It's traumatic for me to think that she's going to be targeted because she's a young Indigenous woman; she has the long dark hair, the high cheek bones, the dark skin. Is someone going to target her and see her as an object and target her? Yes! And that's a reality."
The candle-light vigil ended with the crowd standing in silence to a song sung by John Lennon called, "Imagine," in honour of remembering women who have been victims of sexual abuse and violence.