All are welcomed to join us for Salal’s annual virtual vigil in observance of the 35th anniversary of the attack on Polytechnique Montréal, where 14 women lost their lives on the basis of gender. The day was named National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, and on December 6, 2024, from 4:30pm-6pm PT, we will remember, mourn, and celebrate the lives that were lost in 1989, and continue to be lost today due to misogyny and transphobia. Our virtual vigil and discussion will feature an opening from Faith Summers, with panelists Mandi Gray, Marlihan Lopez, and Jennifer Khor as we light our candles to stand in solidarity with our community of cis and trans women, Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary folks who still face gender-based violence.
The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women
Panelists
Faith Summers (she/her)
Having spent her adult life on an intentional healing path and learning to thrive alongside the impacts of trauma, addiction, chronic conditions, and oppression, Faith is dedicated to creating safe spaces for healing, connection, and empowerment.
Faith is of mixed Onayota’a:ka/European decent and holds certificates in Embodied Social Justice, Mind Body Coaching, and Earth Medicine. She continues to study ancestral ways and language with various Elders and Knowledge keepers, as well as somatic trauma therapy.
Faith is passionate about her family and two-legged dog, rest, and the intersection of Spirituality, ‘Wellness,’ and Social Justice.
Marlihan Lopez
Marlihan Lopez is a Black feminist community organizer tackling issues surrounding anti-blackness, gender-based violence and its intersections. She coordinated the EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion) division for the Quebec Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, where she did advocacy work and raises awareness on how gender, race, class and ability intersect in the context of sexual violence. She has also organized with movements such as Black Lives Matter around issues such as racial profiling and police brutality. She was co-Vice-President for la Fédération des femmes du Québec from 2017-2022 and is currently Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute. She is also a cofounding member of Harambec-Reviving the Black Feminist Collective.
Jennifer Kohr
Jennifer Khor is Supervising Lawyer and Project Manager for Stand Informed legal advice services.
Jennifer graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Science and obtained her law degree from Dalhousie University. She was admitted to the Law Society of BC in 1997. She has practiced primarily human rights, employment and labour law.
Jennifer has dedicated her career to addressing access to justice, human rights and gender issues. Prior to joining CLAS, Jennifer worked for Legal Services Society (Legal Aid BC) opening legal aid offices across the province. She has worked internationally leading projects to improve access to justice and human rights in Africa and Asia. She has been a past Board member for West Coast LEAF, West Coast Domestic Workers Association (now Migrant Workers Centre) and a legal aid clinic in Ontario.
Mandi Gray
Mandi Gray is an assistant professor at Trent University (Peterborough, Ontario) in Criminology/Sociology. She is the author of Suing for Silence: Sexual Violence and Defamation Law. Mandi is the co-host of the podcast Diva Voce. She lives in Toronto with her sassy little pomeranian. www.mandigray.com
The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women
On December 6, 1989, 13 female students and a female administrator at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal were murdered because of their gender. The shocking impact of their deaths led Parliament to designate December 6 as a National Day of Remembrance. In addition to commemorating the women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, this day represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the fact that people of marginalized genders in Canada and around the world continue to face disproportionate levels of violence each and every day.
Remembering the women from l’École Polytechnique:
- Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968), civil engineering student
- Hélène Colgan (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
- Nathalie Croteau (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
- Barbara Daigneault (born 1967), mechanical engineering student
- Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968), chemical engineering student
- Maud Haviernick (born 1960), materials engineering student
- Maryse Laganière (born 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique’s finance department
- Maryse Leclair (born 1966), materials engineering student
- Anne-Marie Lemay (born 1967), mechanical engineering student
- Sonia Pelletier (born 1961), mechanical engineering student
- Michèle Richard (born 1968), materials engineering student
- Annie St-Arneault (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
- Annie Turcotte (born 1969), materials engineering student
- Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (born 1958), nursing student