Raising awareness of missing and murdered Aboriginal women

A group of Lakehead University students is raising awareness of murdered and missing Aboriginal women in northwestern Ontario.
The university students partnered with Full Moon Memory Walk organizers Sharon Johnson and Ann McGuire to hold film nights and discussion forums at the university to raise awareness of the issue.
“A handful of us were able to attend the Full Moon Memory Walk in September to try to learn more about this local issue,” said Marnie Lidstone, an LU masters student in history and one of the organizers of the film fundraiser/discussion forum.
“If we partner with the university, then there is a greater chance to raise awareness even more within the (non-Aboriginal) community,” she said.
The Full Moon Memory Walk has been held in September for the past six years to honour the memories of Aboriginal women who have been murdered or gone missing and to raise awareness of the issue of violence against women.
The students held their third event, the Full Moon Memory Walk Film Fundraiser/Discussion Forum, April 5.
Two films were screened during the event: the pilot of Blackstone, a new APTN series, and footage of Morningstar Mercredi’s Honoring the Warrior Within.
A penny auction and bake sale were also held during the event and free pizza was provided for participants.
“We’ve been able to raise several thousand dollars to go towards the families of the Full Moon Memory Walk in the hope they won’t have to pay for police escorts in the walk this upcoming year,” Lidstone said. “It’s still within the beginning stages, but we are optimistic we can really build on this work with a student group next year.”
About 40 people attended the April 5 event, while the first two events attracted about 20-40 people.
“A lot of the people who come out to these events so far are already aware of a lot of the issues, so we are really trying to figure out ways to draw in community members that perhaps aren’t aware,” Lidstone said.