StFX Holds Sisters in Spirit Take Back the Night

After a series of delays and an eventual cancellation of the previous year’s rally, many students welcomed the event’s reappearance on October 4th as a part of Consent Awareness week. This year, the event was part of an initiative by the Native Women’s Association of Canada, joint with our own Visable@X team and the Office of Indigenous Student Affairs, bringing StFX the first ever Sisters in Spirit Take Back the Night. It is a protest for the right to take back spaces that have been exclusionary and harmful in the past, particularly to those who have faced some form of gender-based violence or discrimination. The school emphasized the importance of this rally by saying that they take the safety of StFX students and staff very seriously and are prioritizing sexual and gender-based violence prevention on campus.

The event began with poster and button making along with face painting on the fourth floor of the Student Union Building. Those gathered then left for to be joined by others on the football field for the rally and speech of guest speaker Andrea Curry.

The rally began with the introductions of Alyssa, a Visable@X coordinator, Lauren a Visable@X Peer Educator, and Kylie, an Indigenous Peer Mentor, who began the ceremony with a land acknowledgement to her people, the Mi’kmaq, and the recognition of October 4th as the National Sisters in Spirit vigil. She recognized those who stood united to honor the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two spirit, transgender, and gender diverse individuals.

Lauren took the stage next, and spoke on how the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is close to 4000, emphasizing that some have misconstrued these numbers in the past to “avoid taking action.” Her speech was followed by Alyssa welcoming the guest speaker, Andrea Currie, to take the stage.

Andrea Currie is Saulteaux Metis from the historic Metis homeland in southern Manitoba, and is currently living in Unama’ki (Cape Breton). She is a writer, musician, and psychotherapist who has been working for the past 20 years in the Mi’kmaq community; her teachings focus on the colonial trauma of Indigenous peoples. She began her speech by touching on her experience within the white feminist movement of the 80s, stating that there were “painful moments” and “challenges to overcome” as the movement had to make space for women of colour to “participate on [their] own terms.” White women had to acknowledge their privilege and allow the movement to be changed as women of colour spoke up and took positions of leadership. She continued, saying that women have learned about the connections and differences between them that make working together “richer and stronger” than ever before. She recognized the fact that the joint gathering for Sisters in Spirit and Take Back the Night was evidence to her point.

Though much work has been done, there is still more to do. Currie spoke on the history of violence by the RCMP against Indigenous people during colonization, saying that these actions are the basis on which our law enforcement systems are built today. Racism, homophobia, and transphobia make queer and gender-diverse individuals of colour the most vulnerable of all people today, yet they are unable to trust the police because of the systemic violence that has been wielded against them throughout history. Currie called out those who hold positions of power, saying that they are not willing to give up the violence that they use as a tool against women and gender-non conforming people. Those who live in fear are the most easily controlled, but she identified this as the reason for gathering that night. Showing those who have positions of authority that they are not afraid is the first step to taking back the power that has been used to control them.

Currie ended her speech by speaking on the missing and murdered Indigenous women, saying that the immediate reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic showed that change could come quickly if those in power saw it as a priority. Change can come through ensuring that the call to end violence against all women, as well as queer and trans individuals, is a priority. These communities should not have to live in fear and or be distrustful of the systems that are supposed to protect them. She finished by thanking the male allies who were at the rally and standing with those affected.

Closing the rally was Hannah Dykeman with the performance of two songs—Labour by Paris Paloma, and Mother Mother, and an original she wrote about looking to the generations of women who came before and asking “what’s next.”

A march around campus then began, and a chance to connect with fellow like-minded individuals followed in the Student Union Building. Standing up against fear and having these sorts of conversations are what is needed to move forward in the fight against gender-based violence. Though there is more to be done, StFX is taking a step in the right direction.