11th Memorial March Analysis

Barker, J. (2008). Gender, Sovereignty, Rights: Native Women's Activism against Social Inequality and Violence in Canada. American Quarterly, 60(2), 8. Retrieved fro m http://search.Proquest.com.Ez proxy.library.yorku.ca/docview/61688929?Acc ountid=15182.

Finding Dawn is an important film which sheds light on the issues of the missing First Nations women in British Columbia. What this film raises on a deeper level, however, are the major social prejudices and the systemic racism that exists in Canadian society. The film illustrates the deep historical, social and economic factors that contribute to the epidemic of violence against Aboriginal women. It highlights the disturbing, worldwide culture of exception that allows murders of women, especially those who are poor, indigenous, or sex workers, to go unsolved and unpunished. Although the releasing finding of the missing Aboriginal women is still unresolved, the family members and the compassion community continue to honor their lives after their death. For instance, on

For the past forty years, women have been reported murdered or missing along the highway 16 corridor in Northern British Columbia. The 724- kilometer stretch of road from Prince George to Prince Rupert was given the name “the highway of tears”. In the documentary Highway of Tears by Matt Smiley, the focus of the documentary was to set out and find the root cause of the disappearances and murders and to shed light on the real issue of violence against women and systematic racism in the justice system. The documentary looks at true stories of women who have gone missing or have been murdered along the highway of tears. The documentary focuses on how the highway of tears is the core of a much larger problem of how the indigenous population has been treated since colonialism. (Smiley, 2015) This essay will focus on summarizing the documentary, showing the correlation between the injustice the women and their families have faced and the mainstream and critical theories of victimization, and provide a critical reflection.

The impact of colonization on First Nations peoples in Canada is unsurpassable, regarding every aspect of Aboriginal life and well-being. Throughout Canadian history, the government has been aiming to assimilate and annihilate Aboriginal people by way of racist policies, ethnocentric institutions, discriminatory laws and destructive capitalist behaviours. Because of this, Aboriginal people have suffered many losses, both physically and culturally. One of the main perpetrators of enacting this loss is the education system. The education system in Canada has and continues to threaten the relationship First Nations peoples have with the land. The connection First Nations peoples have with the land is crucial to their cultures, traditions, ceremonies and beliefs. Colonization and colonialism jeopardize this relationship and that is what this essay will address.

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans to North America, and their colonization of the land, the Aboriginals lived prosperously. Notably, after the Europeans colonized the land, the woman’s role in the Aboriginal societies drastically changed. Originally, women played a large role in the political zone, as well as essential roles in their societies. Essentially, women in Aboriginal societies, were once considered to be integral parts to their society, and through the many attempts of assimilation from the Europeans, the women now have an insignificant role in their societies. Correspondingly, in the present year of 2014, women in Aboriginal societies seem to have no political power or voice and unfortunately, they have become the victims of many unsolved irrational violence attacks. Furthermore, a large and pertinent element to this problem would be the presence felt of the Indian Act. This led to the neglecting of Aboriginal women’s legal status as an Indian. The law had made women minorities; In order to obtain an Indian status, women would need to either marry an Aboriginal, or be the direct descendant of their father.

Abigail Andrews. Amanda Bartlett. Amber Guiboche. The list of missing and murdered Indigenous women goes on (CBC, 2016). With an independent national inquiry now underway, hope is in the air to expose the social and historical factors to decode the systemic causes of violence that these women experience, and the impacts of institutional practices and polices.

Even though Canada is one of the most developed countries in the world, there are still major human right violations that occur on a regular basis. The most prominent violation that occurs is the violence and discrimination against the indigenous women who live in Canada. Native women are seen as less by others for multiple reasons, mainly because they are native, Canadian women whose ancestors have always lived there. Also, there are stereotypes, corruption, and racism in the police force. Even though this is a massive problem it is possible to stop if we raise awareness, provide recourses to victims, and fix governmental corruption. Overall with this monstourus problem looming over Canada there

The film Highway of Tears brought to light many issues faced by Indigenous persons however, its main focus was the missing and murdered women found along Highway 16 in Northern British Columbia. Majority of the women who are missing as well as those who were murdered are Indigenous women. This film displayed that although there are ways to prevent and possibly end the violence against Aboriginal women, no action was being taken by police or other government agents to do so. It was discussed how this as well as other wrongs done to Indigenous persons and communities, is a result of past and present colonialism.

Charlie Angus was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2004, a role which took him to the Forgotten Children of Attawapiskat. It was his experiences prompted him to write his book, Children of the Broken Treaty: Canada’s Lost Promise and one Girl’s Dream, which tells the story of Indigenous persons of Canada’s struggles, including treaty rights, residential schools, as well as the fight for education and safe housing. The book provides a challenge to many common assumptions, and it also explores many themes which are used to explain the events which have shaped Canadian culture and policies. Angus begins his book by touching on some of the original treaties signed between the first Canadian government and the members of the bands that are indigenous to the land. One of these was Treaty 9, which promised education for Indigenous children. The book then developed into the foundation of residential schools, and the horrors that are endured there. In addition to the horrendous amounts of verbal, physical and sexual abuse which took place in these schools, the students who attended these institutions faced the mass genocide of their culture, as the unspoken purpose of these schools was “to kill the Indian in the child” (Angus, 2015, p. 14). The beginning of the book, while very dark, provides an honest introduction to some of the themes that can be spotted throughout the book, and history itself. The three themes that primarily stood out to me as a reader were: cultural

Concerns of violent victimization and self-destructive tendencies in Aboriginal communities have become a significant issue in Aboriginal movements worldwide. In Canada, it has taken the specific form of feminist-inspired campaigns for only those Indigenous females that are missing and murdered. The highly vocalized 2015 campaign for the 42nd Canadian Federal Election drew much attention to the fate of missing and murdered Indigenous women. However, the attention on females suggests that the inherent implication that Indigenous men’s attitudes toward Indigenous women are the problem and that the men are not victims of violence themselves. This essay will first acknowledge the chronic problem of violence in the place of Indigenous peoples in first world societies and the continuing social problems that marginalize their position. This paper will then examine the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, the violence in their communities, and whether or not Indigenous men and their masculinities have an appropriate place in the national picture regarding the missing and murdered Indigenous women. I will conclude with a consideration of the extent to which if men do have an appropriate place in the inquiry and which policy recommendations are required to address the issues that Aboriginal people confront.

(Walker, 2015) Yet with great concern, her unfortunate story never made national headlines. As Walker writes, Leah Anderson's death adds one more name to the RCMP's list of 225 unsolved cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls across the country [...] and even two years after her death, there hasn't been a single arrest. "Who could have done this? Do I see this person? Is he around here?" are just a few of the many unanswered questions asked by Myra Anderson, the aunt of the deceased. With the rise of horrific incidences as such, the question of a woman’s safety and security rise to prominence as fear takes over, yet who do we turn to for answers? Neither the government officials nor the RCMP have definite answers as to why we heed and pay more attention to one kind of body but not the other, as to why and how we have deemed and distinguished one body more important than the other… one life more valuable than the other? This issue is of high importance as the Aboriginal population is being discriminated against, which has been a continuation from the attack of Colonialism which enslaved and enforced thousands to assimilate into a more ‘civilized’ western culture. The on-going marginalization and bigotry has dug the whole even deeper as the "vulnerability and societal disinterest has placed Aboriginal women at higher risk for violence in all forms" (Pearce, 2013). What has fallen to the blind side of the greater public eye is the substantial number of cases that have gone unsolved and it is in this aspect that more consideration and resolution is

She argues that women face many institutional and societal barriers. In this regard, I will give examples of the institutional and structural barriers such as “The Indian Act” which have significantly affected Indigenous women in Canada in many ways including social, economic and political. While comparing feminists and Indigenous feminists, I think that Native women are different in several ways including social, cultural, historical, political and economic; therefore, Indigenous feminism is a way of practicing the values that they have been taught and inherited from their

I couldn't believe how strong these people were. They actually sad loud and clear enough is enough. And I was coming from 14 blocks up where the houses are filled with smiles and loves no crime just families planing the neighborhood Christmas block party and family vacation. You drive down our block all curtain are open for the world to see our smiles during family get togethers. We even share the block with one over the older local news men. I was just at the march to make sure the crime didnt up my way. I didn't care about nobody there I care about theirs tears or their families. But now I

Malcom X once said “the media’s the most powerful entity on the earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of masses”. He is addressing the matter of media as a manipulative concept and that the media has a way to shape the readers minds into only seeing the negative point of view of a either a victim or offender. In doing so, it entitles that they have a large amount of power, which influences society’s decisions on whether or not they can trust the criminal justice system as a whole. In a recent case that took place back in September of this year, involving a 15-year old aboriginal girl named Tina Fontaine, the media illustrates the victimization of her in aspects that are not valuable for her character. However, not only is the issue degrading the victim, but it is also emphasizing the lack of care that the criminal justice system has towards victims, especially of another ethnic background. Thus, leading to the assumption of society lacking in confidence in the justice system. Overall, the way the media depicts Aboriginal women as victims in violent crimes is extremely concerning to society and the cultural aspects of Canada.

As we have learned from our history as Black Americans, it is the “fear” that fades our power; whether real power or the perception of power. However, in the moment, those of us in attendance, it was the spirit of the moment that carried us. We could hear hundreds of thousands Black men chanting, “Long live the spirit of the Million Man March.” And, of course, it was hope that fueled the spirit. It was also “hope” that guided our camaraderie on the road during our travel to Washington, D.C. It was hope that keep the peace along the journey as hundreds of Black men met along the way in McDonalds and other fast foods restaurants along the way to Washington, D.C. In other words, it was the spirit of brotherhood that made people socialize and extend a helping hand along the