Janice Brown may not personally know anyone who has disappeared along Highway 16, but as an Indigenous woman, she feels it is important to shine a light on an issue nonetheless.
“I think there definitely needs to be more awareness of this problem,” said Brown, who is Tsimshian and Haida. “There are way to many lives lost in a tragic way, and I just wanted to show the rest of Canada that Prince Rupert cares.”
READ MORE: Walking the Highway of Tears for a woman who went missing 12 years ago from Prince Rupert
Brown organized the Stolen Sisters vigil on Sept. 29 to honour and raise awareness about the women who have gone missing along the highway.
Also known as the Highway of Tears, Highway 16 stretches more than 850 kilometres between Prince George and Prince Rupert. More than 19 women and men have either been murdered or gone missing along the highway over the years.
Approximately 50 protesters gathered at the Lester Centre where they held a smudging ceremony and read the names of the individuals who have gone missing along the highway.
“I do not want to lose anymore of our sisters, mothers or daughters this way,” said John E. Stevens, who addressed the crowd before the march. “I hope we can find justice.”
Following Stevens’s words, the group walked to the “No Hitchhiking” sign along on Highway 16 just passed the Lester Centre. They sang songs and held signs along the highway before marching back to the bridge by the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre where they released balloons.
READ MORE: Bus ridership on B.C.’s Highway of Tears more than doubles
Brown said the gathering was a relatively impromptu event, that she planned only a few days before. After discussing it with a few close friends, she started a Facebook event and began making signs. She said she was overwhelmed by the turnout on such short notice.
“Just seeing all the people that showed up and the feeling of seeing and honouring the women who have been lost on the highway, it was such an emotional feeling,” she said.
matthew.allen@thenorthernview.com
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