A Six Nations march on Valentine’s Day remembers lost MMIWG2S+
It may have been Valentine’s Day, but organizers of a march at Ganhohkwasra Family Assault Support Services want people to remember those who have been lost.
About 100 people participated in the march from the Ganhohkwasra on Chiefswood Rd to Veteran’s Park in Ohsweken many carrying signs or images representing the missing and murdered, Indigenous women, girls, men and boys as well as 2-spirited, lesbian, gay, and non-binary people.
Amber Williams is a counsellor and and Program Coordinator with Love Starts with Us, an organization that supports MMIWG families on Six Nations. She said the event was meant to be inclusive and recognize that men are also victims. She said her program is built for those who feel the effects most, referring to those who are left behind.
Mothers and siblings spoke of lost family members not in past tense but how they continue to inspire, bring hope and even though they are deeply missed also bring comfort from the spirit world.