Show your heart on February 14
Toronto – February 9, 2019 – On February 14, activists can show their heart and share their solidarity for a better future for First Nations children, and for justice and safety for women and girls.
Have a Heart Day is an annual call to bring equal funding and services to First Nations children living on reserve. Sponsored by the First Nations Children and Family Caring Society (the Caring Society), this initiative is a youth-led reconciliation campaign to help ensure First Nations children get a fair chance to grow up safely at home, get a good education, be healthy, and feel proud of who they are.
Dozens of Have a Heart events are planned across the country. To participate in a Have a Heart Day event in your area, find out more at www.fncaringsociety.com/have-a-heart.
Activists and allies can also support the day by sending a card or letter to the Prime Minister or your local Member of Parliament asking them to ensure First Nations children have the services they need to thrive; hosting a Valentine’s Day party to raise awareness in your school or community; or spreading the word through social media channels like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook using the hashtag #HaveaHeartDay and/or #JourneeAyezUnCoeur. To learn more, click here.
Women’s Memorial Marches also take place on February 14 at a number of locations across the country. The marches and vigils honour and acknowledge the loss of thousands of women and girls who have lost their lives due to physical, mental, and emotional violence. They also call attention to the disproportionate percentage of Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or have been murdered at a rate that far exceeds any other demographic in Canada. These memorial marches provide an opportunity to show solidarity in the fight to eliminate violence against all women.
Some of these February 14 marches include:
Calgary – 11th Annual Valentines Day Women's Memorial March
Location: Scarboro United Church, 134 Scarboro Avenue SW, Calgary, AB, T3C 2H1
Start: February 14, 6:30 p.m., followed by march at 7 p.m.
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/618250945280726/
Ottawa – 9th Memorial March for mmIwg2s, February 14
Location: 214 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON, K1L 8L8
Start: February 14, 6 p.m.
Details: https://bit.ly/2tb3nJF
Sault Ste. Marie – 12th Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Location: Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse, 426 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 6W2
Start: February 14, 11:30 a.m.
Details: https://bit.ly/2HZZHVj
Toronto – 14th Annual February 14 Strawberry Ceremony for mmiwg2s
Location: Toronto Police Headquarters, 40 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 2J3
Start: February 14, 12:30 p.m.
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/330574770868854/
Victoria – Stolen Sisters Memorial March Victoria 2019
Location: Our Place Society, 919 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, B.C., V8V 3N4
Start: February 16, 11:30 a.m.
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/563733094090477/
Winnipeg – 11th Annual Memorial Walk for mmiwg2s+
Location: University of Winnipeg, Riddell Hall, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9
Start: February 14, 5:30 p.m.
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/375976309900370/
Look to social media for other February 14 marches planned in your community. For more information regarding UFCW Canada’s work to prevent violence against women and support survivors of abuse, visit www.ufcw.ca/women. To find out more about UFCW Canada’s work on Reconciliation, visit www.ufcw.ca/reconciliation.