Well. We have, by now, all heard the statistics; well over 1000 of our Aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or been murdered in our very recent past. Imagine if there were 1000 girls missing from your town. Imagine. Every resource would be mobilized. Every person would be volunteering in search parties, call centres, making food for families etc. The federal and provincial governments would be involved, likely the military and the reserves.
Currently, the silence is deafening. We like to think that racism is rampant to the south of us, but not here. I would like to compare this to microaggressions, you know, those little comments and actions that belie underlying prejudice (“Here, let me get that for you.” or “You’re prettier when you smile.” or “Are you married to the owner of this dojo?”). But it is such a mega,macro-aggression, there is just nothing micro about it.
Wherever there is systemic violence, there is a communal sense of helplessness; “it’s always been that way”. Our sense of personal shame and/or frustration can also cause us to look away and deal with the more manageable things that are right in front of us.
It’s time now to fix this problem. It’s time to start the conversation. Aboriginal women know what they need. Aboriginal communities have ground breaking ideas and plans. We need to listen. We need to support. We need to add our voices to theirs and demand answers and change. It’s time to freak out.