Men, #ItEndsWithUs and it’s time to act!

September 26, 2014

Kevin Seesequasis, Co-Chair (Male) – I’ve been watching with great sadness and rising frustration the devastating events around the country surrounding Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (#MMIWG), and I’ve often wondered what – as a man – I can do.

I’ve watched the daily headlines and been inspired by the courageous actions of community members in Manitoba who are dredging the Red River on their own because government authorities are not quick enough to act, or worse, are remiss to act.

I am inspired when I hear of community artists, leaders, activists, organizations, and politicians who have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness and are working to prevent this national tragedy.

Women like Christi Belcourt who launched Walking With Our Sisters, a non-partisan commemorative art installation that includes 1790 pairs of moccasin vamps (the tops of moccasins) in a community driven project that seeks to honour the lives of murdered and missing Indigenous women in Canada and the United States; and Bridget Tolley who co-founded Families of Sisters in Spirit – a grassroots and completely volunteer based group dedicated to supporting families of murdered and missing Indigenous women.

… or organizations such as the Native Women’s Association of Canada which initiated the Faceless Dolls Project – a collection of more than 600 faceless dolls showcased in a travelling art exhibit in memory of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

… or parliamentarians like Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett whose motion in the House of Commons resulted in a special MPs committee on Violence Against Aboriginal Women; and former Liberal Senators Sandra Lovelace Nicholson and Lillian Dyck who were instrumental in seeing a Senate Committee established to investigate the same.

But there is one other initiative that has me particularly inspired, and not in the ‘I feel good’ kind of way, but rather in the ‘I need to do something’ kind of way. I’m inspired not because of something wildly fantastic about the campaign, or that it has a catchy tagline, but rather because of its truly practical approach to dealing with violence against women.

Report after report that I have read identifies many of the root causes of violence against women. Key among them is the unconscionable things too many men do to too many women.

The Moosehide Campaign (www.moosehidecampaign.ca) seeks to end this by promoting healthy attitudes towards women among men and young boys.

The initiative works to create an atmosphere where men and young boys can learn about positive ideas around masculinity. It teaches (among many other valuable lessons) what men can do to help young boys respect women, and provides a list of 10 things that men can do to create an environment for young boys to learn that gender-based violence is unacceptable. The Moosehide Campaign teaches these men about positive role models and that we all have a part to play in seeing this national tragedy brought to an end.

It was just a few months ago in Halifax that I heard Jody Wilson Raybould, the Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief for British Columbia, speak on how Indigenous women are reassuming their traditional roles as leaders and nation-builders in our communities; how the actions of innumerable women are making positive change for our people across our territories.

It is those nation-building efforts, and all those incredible grassroots initiatives listed above, that – when combined with the efforts of men and the Moosehide Campaign – leaves me cause for optimism that my nieces, your sisters, our cousins and aunts, and countless other young Indigenous women won’t grow up wondering “#AmINext?”

So in closing I say to men: let’s rally our common desire for justice and continue the call for a National Public Inquiry; but more than just support women and their extraordinary efforts, let us also reassume our traditional roles.

Share your #ItEndsWithUs photo and together, let’s end violence against Indigenous women and girls.

It’s time to act!

 

*Note 1: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and/or official policy of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission and/or the Liberal Party of Canada*
*Note 2: The individuals and organizations mentioned have not endorsed and are not affiliated with the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission and/or the Liberal Party of Canada*
*Note 3: The blog was published in the language it was received*