Haunting stories of hurt and grief were intertwined with the hope of healing and reconciliation during the Sisters in Spirit Vigil in St. John’s yesterday.
The event, held at the First Light Centre for Performance and Creativity in the old Cochrane Street United Church, honoured missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
One person who attends the event every year is Amena Harlick-Shaw. Her mother was murdered nearly 21 years ago when she was just six years old.
Amena Harlick-Shaw
Harlick-Shaw describes the emotion of attending the vigil.
She says there’s a lot of anger for the man who murdered her mom and a lot of sadness for having to mourn her each year. However, she feels the movement becomes more powerful with each year they do it.
That said, Harlick-Shaw says she finds comfort in attending the event.
She describes being with others who have gone through similar experiences as a “weird sense of home and safety.” She says it is a connection she can’t get anywhere else, and lets her know that she isn’t alone.
