By David P. Ball and Tan Mei Xi
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A member of the Women's Memorial March Committee is expecting Sunday's (Feb. 14) event to offer a place for healing, as well as remembering and honouring loved ones.

This year's event marks the 30th anniversary since the first march was held in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. In the years since, it has grown and is considered one of the most important events for the community attended by thousands.

"We've experienced a lot of trauma at the hands of the colonizers," said Cintesapa Taweya, also known as Juanita Desjarlais, in an interview with The Pulse on CFRO. "And it still continues today in their language and the violence we experience on a daily basis."

"We are suffering, but at the same time we're going forward with healing now... this is a memorial to show our love, care and support for the families. When we lose a loved one it's so important to be able to connect with others who share a similar experience," she added.

Taweya said what families can share with each other about their losses, "you just really get a lot of support and a lot of love. That's what it's about."

But it's also about raising awareness that violence against Indigenous women "is an epidemic," and pointed to today's higher rates of incarceration of Indigenous women, higher rates for health issues, and higher rates of violence to show how the issue is both intergenerational and systemic and structural.

She connected those missionary and early colonial histories to today's industrial "man camps" at oil and gas projects and hydroelectric construction. First Nations women in B.C. have raised repeated outrage over economic development they say has increased violence against women. It's also "permeated the hospitals, the police departments, and other things such as discrimination — there is that footprint from the colonizers and the missionaries that's deep-rooted today and impacts our families," she explained.

"Indigenous women are always at the centre of predators exploiting them in whatever aspect — whether that's in the drug market or in the field of sexual exploitation — our women have been targeted," she said. "This is our history after the point of contact."

The march will be held Feb. 14 at noon at the corner of Main and Hastings streets in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and participants are asked to wear face masks and keep social distance to ensure safety for the community. A live streamed virtual event for those unable to attend in person is also planned on the Facebook event page.

"This year there will be a lot of safety protocols in place," Taweya said. "I encourage you to either tune in... or to attend. Showing up and showing your support is so meaningful to the families."