On the anniversary of Bella Laboucan-Massimo’s unresolved death, No More Silence, Families of Sisters in Spirit and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network launched an important new website ItStartsWithUs-MMIW.com to document Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women in Canada. It is a community-led database documenting the violent deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and one example of the resurgence of community documentation as justice.
The purpose of the database is to honour women and provide family members with a way to document their loved ones passing. As the one year anniversary of Bella Laboucan-McLean’s death approaches the family has provided the first of many tribute pieces on the website, read it here.
This is very important community driven work. Please consider supporting the project by contacting the partner organizations.
Greenpeace recently called on the Canadian government to enact a national response to this gender and race-based violence that is comprehensive, coordinated, and developed in collaboration with Indigenous women and girls themselves.