On October 17, 2021, women’s groups and their allies rallied across Quebec to close out the 5th International World March of Women (WMW). For more than a year, we voiced common demands to fight poverty and stamp out violence against women, promote the rights of migrant and Indigenous women, and seek climate justice. The theme of the Indigenous women’s advocacy conference was “Violence and Sexual Assault Against First Nations Women: Enough is enough!” On this day, initiatives were organized throughout Quebec.
In the Estrie region, the event took place at the Plage des Cantons in Magog and welcomed anyone who wished to join their voices with this international feminist movement for social transformation! Our thanks go to everyone who participated in any way in organizing this great event, especially the Centre de femmes Memphrémagog and its sympathetic workers.
A UNIFYING AFTERNOON
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Statement of the WMW co-spokespersons on the demands
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Group activity (Gumboots [with the Maraboots]), choir and visual creation!);
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A moment of remembrance for Indigenous women and a celebration of community strength with the Flying Sturgeons, a band of male drummers from the Abenaki community of Odanak.
TERRITORIAL RECOGNITION
We deeply value our collaboration with the members of the Abenaki community of Odanak. In a spirit of cultural respect and great appreciation, we welcomed Abenaki women and the Flying Sturgeons band as part of regional initiatives by the WMW-Estrie committee. The initiatives took place on N’Dakina, an ancestral and unceded territory of the Wabanaki confederation. The confederation brings together the Abenaki communities of Odanak and Wôlinak.
“On March 3, 2020, together with many women’s groups around the world, we launched the 5th International Action of the World March of Women.
In Quebec, after a few necessary detours for public health, we will be concluding this 5th international initiative on October 17, 2021. Women’s groups will mobilize throughout the province to make the movement’s demands heard.
Our demands are the reflection of a movement driven by a diversity of women. We want to raise awareness among the public and people in positions of power on the themes of violence against women and poverty, the rights of Indigenous women and migrant women, and climate justice”
– WMW-Estrie committee
