Feelings of sadness, anger, and resolve to change will forever mark December 6. As the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the day has become a time to remember the victims of the École Polytechnique de Montreal shooting, and has also become an occasion to take a stand against gender based violence.
With that in mind, we asked the members of our U of A community: "What will you reflect on this December 6?"
Here's what they had to say:
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on how I felt that day in 1989 as I sat in a classroom at the University of Toronto in a class filled with women and being told that women in Montreal had been killed for doing exactly what we were doing, participating in science and technology and dreaming of our future. We all vowed to honour the lives of those women killed in Montreal by continuing to learn, engage and participate." ~ Mary Forhan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on…the strong women in my life today. So often, we don't take a moment to thank and appreciate the people who throughout our lives, have been supporting us, standing behind us, cheering us on. Gender-based violence disproportionately affects women and non-binary people, and it is our responsibility, as women, to love, support and embolden each other. There is strength in our numbers, we just have to vocalize it. If not us, then who? If not now, then when?" ~ Akanksha Bhatnagar, Vice-President (Academic), University of Alberta Students' Union
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on how female leaders can affect change and build inclusive and safe spaces."~ Sasha van der Klein, President, Graduate Students' Association
"As a young biology professor at Queen's I remember watching the television in horror as the reports came in. I felt it important that we make a clear statement to our community about this tragedy so I phoned the Principal's office and asked if the flags could be lowered. There were many tears shed on campus and in my lab that day. We just couldn't believe this could happen. Remembering this tragedy compels us to recognize how much work we still have to do." ~ David Turpin, President, University of Alberta
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on finding ways to help women who are more vulnerable than I am. I am an accountant and on that day 29 years ago, one of the women killed was a staff person who worked in finance. That woman was killed by a stranger, but today it is statistically likely that there is a woman working in finance at this University who is the victim of violence from an intimate partner. We all need to work together to create more pathways to safety for vulnerable women while we work to create a safer society." ~ Elizabeth Johannson, NASA President
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women by reflection on the deaths of 14 women undergraduate engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6, 1989. This leads me to be grateful for the higher awareness of the harassment women still face in the workplace, especially where they are a minority, and the increasing number of voices saying that this is no longer acceptable in our society. Even today, I hear stories from professional women of their experiences at work, and am dismayed. We have not yet developed inclusive and respectful workplaces and may this Day of Remembrance spur us on to take action towards making this happen."~ Margaret-Ann Armour, Associate Dean, Diversity, Faculty of Science
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on… the memories of the victims of the Montreal Massacre, missing and murdered Indigenous women, and all victims of the systemic inequities that continue to threaten the safety and security of the most vulnerable members of our society." ~ Mike O'Driscoll, Vice-Dean & Professor, Faculty of Arts
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on what more we can do to understand and pre-empt gender-based violence. Public discourse usually focuses on the horrific consequences but less on the causes. We need to somehow respond to both. I'll also be thinking of the many, many women and families who have suffered and still feel the pain and grief of violence past and present." ~ Tamara Buckwold, Professor, Faculty of Law
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on… the responsibility of men to challenge violence - in all its forms - and remembering the White Ribbon Campaign's pledge: To never commit, condone, or stay silent about violence against women." ~ Steve Patten, Associate Dean (Research) and Professor, Faculty of Arts
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on the conditions of vulnerability we as a society impose on women who are most vulnerable to violence and victimization, and the systemic gaps we continue to be okay with, despite knowing they create these conditions of vulnerability. As Cindy Blackstock says, we know better but don't do better." ~ Hadley Friedland, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by wearing a poppy and a white ribbon reflecting on the importance of creating vibrant, safe spaces for our communities to grow in. Maintaining civil society is a shared responsibility that requires steady attention and monitoring. We seem doomed to repeat traumas we forget, or neglect, and the violence unleashed against women in 1989 is just one example." ~ Oliver Rossier, Faculty of Arts"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on… Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.' Decades later, this quote still resonates as we are still struggling with the shameful injustice of the increasing violence against Indigenous women and girls." ~ Tracy Bear, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Native Studies
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on how I spent my childhood trying to rescue my mother because I thought she was took weak to change our situation. It took me until my late teens and my first brush with an abusive partner to realize that she wasn't weak…she was so unbelievably strong. She finally left with a four young children, bag of clothes, not a dollar to her name. And she remade her life. I'm so eternally grateful to her." ~ Glynnis Lieb, Executive Director, Institute for Sexual Minority Studies & Services (iSMSS)
"I'll be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by reflecting on…how much work is left to be done to eliminate violence against all women, including addressing the disproportionate amount of violence directed at Indigenous women, women of colour, women with disabilities, transgender women, and other marginalized women. I will use this day to imagine a world where Indigenous women and girls aren't murdered and don't go missing at such high rates and where real action is taken to address this vital issue." ~ Kisha Supernant, President, Academic Women's Association
You can help show your support for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by wearing a white ribbon. White ribbons are available at the following locations:
White ribbons available at the following locations:
- Student's Union Office, SUB 2-900
- NASA Office, 1200 College Plaza
- AASUA Office, 1901 College Plaza
- GSA Office, Triffo Hall
- PDFA Office
- Office of the UofA President, 2-24 SAB
- First People's House, 2-400 SUB
- Human Resources Reception, University Terrace
- iSSMS, 5-181 Education North
- Interfaith Chaplains Office, 3-02 SUB