The 19th Annual February 14th Women’s Memorial March takes place on Sunday, February 14 2010 and begins at 12pm. We gather each year to mourn and remember our sisters by listening to their family members, by taking over the streets, and through spiritual ceremonies. At noon, we gather at the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main Street (corner Hastings, Vancouver) where family members speak in remembrance. At 1 pm, the march takes to the streets and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the police station; a healing circle at Oppenheimer Park around 3 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall.

The heinous and unimaginable violence that have taken the lives of so many has left a deep void in our hearts. The February 14th WomenÂ’s Memorial March is an opportunity to come together to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters, remember the women who are still missing, and to dedicate ourselves
to justice. Please join us (all genders welcome) and we thank you for
your support of the WomenÂ’s Memorial March.

New website launched! http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com
On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gidp685286200&ref=ts
Contact: marlene.george at vancouver.ca or 604-665-3005

* About the Annual Women’s Memorial March

In January 1991 a woman was murdered on Powell Street. Her name is not spoken today out of respect for the wishes of her family. This womanÂ’s murder in particular was the catalyst that moved women into action. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on ValentineÂ’s Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in the Downtown Eastside, Coast Salish Territories, Vancouver.

Nineteen years later, the march continues to honour the lives of missing and murdered women. Increasing deaths of many vulnerable women from the DTES still leaves family, friends, loved ones, and community members with an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. Every year the list of women going missing also increases. Over 3000 women are known to have gone missing or been murdered in Canada since the 1970s. Last year, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women issued this statement: “Hundreds of cases involving aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered in the past two decades have neither been fully investigated nor attracted priority attention.”

Please respect the memorial march and the leadership of those organizing it. This event is organized and led by women in the DTES because women, especially Indigenous women, face physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual violence on a daily basis. This is a memorial not a protest; it is a deeply emotional time for family members and women affected especially in VancouverÂ’s DTES. We ask that you please do not bring your
banners, flags, or leaflets as the WomenÂ’s Memorial March carries five banners only to honour the women. Thank you.

The February 14th WomenÂ’s Memorial March needs your help, to donate: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/donate/