The Tears to Hope Society held their annual memorial march for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, transgender and gender-diverse peoples in Terrace on Feb. 14.
"Feb 14 is a special day for the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and think it's important that people got out and acknowledged that they are going missing or being murdered, many of them unsolved murders, particularly up here on the Highway of Tears," said Gladys Radek, a Witset elder with the Tears to Hope Society.
An intimate ceremony was held at the memorial totem pole on Kitsumkalum territory, west of Terrace, before the march began. After the ceremony, over 50 people met up at the Terrace RCMP headquarters and sang songs and prayed, marching down Lakelse Avenue until they reached the Sportsplex. Beef stew and fried bread was served afterwards to warm those who marched in the cold, late winter weather.
Radek said the turnout was "absolutely amazing" as there were "lots of families" there.
"We appreciated the support from all of the outlying areas, as well as some new people," said Lorna Brown, executive director of the Tears to Hope Society and Radek's sister.
People from several First Nations were at the march, including the Haida, Nisga'a, Wet'suwet'en and Kitsumkalum, as well as people who came all the way from Vancouver and Merritt.
Notable attendees included Mayor Sean Bujtas, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MLA Taylor Bachrach, retired RCMP officer Charlie Lincoln who is of Nisga'a descent, and Melissa Moses, women's representative for the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.
Gina Smoke, Unifor Indigenous liaison, presented a $20,000 cheque to the Tears to Hope Society. Unifor is Canada's largest private section union.
"That was my vision, to begin the march from the totem pole," said Radek, whose had the idea to create the memorial totem pole that was carved and raised in 2020.
鈥淚 wanted a space where our families could go, to find a little bit of healing, a little bit of peace, and a little bit of honouring their loved ones," she said in 2020.
Radek has been an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women for two decades. After Radek and Brown's niece Tamara Chipman, disappeared near Prince Rupert in Sept. 2005, Radek started organizing awareness walks 鈥� including a walk from Vancouver to Prince Rupert, and a walk across Canada. Chipman is still missing to this day.
Brown co-founded the Tears to Hope Society, an Indigenous-led organization that brings awareness to the issue of MMIWG2S+. Their primary focus is to support the families of missing and murdered loves ones by providing a safe space for them to grieve, process and heal.
Eventually, Radek also became involved with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls as an advisor and as an advocate for families coming forward to share stories.
"Remember our lost loved ones, because our families always remember and honour them," said Radek.
