Ceremony held in University Centre
The Student Help and Advocacy Centre (SHAC) hosted a ceremony in the courtyard of the University Centre on Dec. 6 for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Established in 1991 by the federal government, the National Day of Remembrance marks the anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre (commonly known as the Montreal Massacre) in 1989 when a gunman entered the school with a semi-automatic rifle, shot 28 people and killed 14 women. Guest speaker Dr. Joan Simalchik, the program coordinator for Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto, discussed how the attack was fuelled by misogyny and anti-feminist hate.
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Dr. Simalchik spoke about continued efforts in promoting equality in academic institutions across the country, and the challenges being faced by those trying to bring about change in their communities. Scandals from the Dalhousie faculty of Dentistry and the University of Ottawa’s hockey team were mentioned, as well as two recent incidences of students challenging the notion of “safe space” at both Carleton and Laval University. Dr. Simalchik referred to these incidences of sexism and misogyny as “wicked problems” because, “They defy any kind of solution.”
Dr. Simalchik explained that some solutions “Only look at a facet of the problem and not the problem in its entirety,” though she commended both Take Back the Night and the Slut Walk for their work in empowering women and ending victim blaming in cases of sexual assault.
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Issues such as the current culture for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, how misogynist culture affect transwomen, and what the election of Donald Trump could mean for feminism were all discussed as well. Dr. Simalchik concluded her talk by calling for a paradigm shift in society, one where “Perpetrators become pariahs” and violence against women, in any form, is no longer tolerated.
“We have to think of violence against women as socially unacceptable,” said Simalchik.
Following Dr. Simalchik’s speech, a presentation was given to commemorate the women who lost their lives on Dec. 6, 1989. A slideshow was presented, which provided some personal details on each of the 14 women who lost their lives on the day of the shooting. Following the presentation, a moment of silence was held in honour of remembering the victims of the Montreal Massacre.
Leslie Shapiro concluded the ceremony with a harp rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”