The hidden crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada is both a national tragedy and a national shame. In this ground-breaking new volume, as part of their larger efforts to draw attention to the shockingly high rates of violence against our sisters, Jennifer Brant and D. Memee Lavell-Harvard have pulled together a variety of voices from the academic realms to the grassroots and front-lines to speak on what has been identified by both the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations as a grave violation of the basic human rights of Aboriginal women and girls. Linking colonial practices with genocide, through their exploration of the current statistics, root causes and structural components of the issue, including conversations on policing, media and education, the contributing authors illustrate the resilience, strength, courage, and spirit of Indigenous women and girls as they struggle to survive in a society shaped by racism and sexism, patriarchy and misogyny. This book was created to honour our missing sisters, their families, their lives and their stories, with the hope that it will offer lessons to non-Indigenous allies and supporters so that we can all work together towards a nation that supports and promotes the safety and well-being of all First Nation, Métis and Inuit women and girls. Reviews and Endorsements: “Heart wrenching and enlightening at the same time, this book debunks many of the myths that have perpetuated and excused the appalling levels of violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada. The authors challenge conventional thinking on the nature of so-called ‘high-risk lifestyles,’ emphasizing the legacy of oppression and the abuse of Indigenous peoples as they make the connection between the history of colonization and genocide and our contemporary experiences of racialized, sexualized violence.” —Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, Past President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada “Tremendously informative work on one of the most pressing issues in Canada today. For those seeking answers on how to address the deplorable situation of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, they are here.” —Kim Anderson, Associate Professor, Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University “Too many lives have been stolen and too many communities have been destroyed by violence. This volume is both timely and, of course, long overdue. Just as silence and invisibility have allowed the violence to continue, by shining a light on the crisis and bringing awareness to this important issue this collection makes an important contribution towards improving the lives of Indigenous women and girls.” —National Chief Dwight Dorey, Indigenous Peoples Assembly of Canada Contents: Acknowledgements Introduction: Forever Loved D. Memee Lavell-Harvard and Jennifer Brant Section One: Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls: A Sociological Phenomenon 1. Stolen Sisters: The Politics, Policies, and Travesty of Missing and Murdered Women in Canada Wendee Kubik and Carrie Bourassa 2. Understanding Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada Jessica Riel-Johns 3. "Only the Silence Remains": Aboriginal Women as Victims in the Case of the Lower Eastside (Pickton) Murders, Investigative Flaws, and the Aftermath of Violence in Vancouver Patricia O'Reilly and Thomas Fleming 4. Sisters in Spirit Anita Olsen Harper Section Two: The Ongoing Erasure of Indigenous Women 5. The Unmournable Body of Cindy Gladue: On Corporeal Integrity and Grievability Caroline Fidan Tyler Doenmez 6. Analyzing Erasures and Resistance Involving Indigenous Women in New Brunswick, Canada Josephine L. Savarese 7. The Duty of the Canadian Media in Relation to the Violence against Native Women: Lessons Drawn from the Case of Ciudad Juárez. Isela Pérez-Torres Section Three: Education, Awareness, and Action 8. Transnational Advocacy for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Rosemary Nagy 9. How the Lens of the Global Locates Canada's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW): Pedagogical Methods, Lessons, and Hope from the Classroom Brenda Anderson 10. Honouring “Our Sisters in Spirit”: An Interview with Film Director Nick Printup Jennifer Brant and Nick Printup Section Four: Taking a Stance: Resistance and Sisterhood 11. Sisterhood on the Frontlines: The Truth As We Hear It from Indigenous Women Summer Rain Bentham, Hilla Kerner, and Lisa Steacy, Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter 12. Visualizing Grassroots Justice: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Vicki Chartrand, Myrna Abraham, Leah Maureen Gazan, Cheryl James, Brenda Osborne, and Chickadee Richard 13. Personal Political Pedagogy with Respect to #MMIW Maxine Matilpi Section Five: Voices of Healing: Narrative and Poetry 14. Little Sister Tasha Spillet 15. She, Remembers, Warrior Tasha Spillet 16. What I Learned from Walking With Our Sisters Gillian McKee 17. To My Sister I Have Never Met Sherry Emmerson 18. If One More Sakihitowin Awasis 19. Take Back the Night Sakihitowin Awasis 20. Accomplice Alyssa Severn 21. Moving Forward: A Dialogue between D. Memee Lavell-Harvard, Gladys Radek, and Bernice Williams D. Memee Lavell-Harvard, Gladys Radek, and Bernice Williams
|