Brock will remember the 14 women murdered at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal thirty-five years ago with an on-campus memorial Friday, Dec. 6. On Dec. 6, 1989, 14 women studying at the École Polytechnique in Montreal were killed by a male classmate because of their gender.
Thirty-five years later, Brock University will join Canadians across the country in honouring their memory on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
To mark the day, an on-campus memorial will be held on Friday, Dec. 6 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Faith and Life Centre, located within Alphie’s Trough. All members of the Brock community are invited to attend.
The event will feature remarks from Brock President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg and Taylor Court, Education Co-ordinator with Brock’s Office of Human Rights and Equity’s Gender and Sexual Violence team. Award-winning author Nadine Williams will also give a poetry reading during the memorial.
“These 14 women were victims of a femicide attack on a university campus. As a university institution, we are still seeing violence against women and the 2SLGBTQ+ community, which is unacceptable,” said Court. “Gender-based violence is an epidemic in Niagara and we hope to raise awareness through education and action.”
The remembrance service is part of Brock’s 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, which began Nov. 25 with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This year’s campaign operates under the theme of Come Together, Act Now.
There will also be a candlelight vigil taking place off-campus in collaboration with the Canadian Federation of University Women on Dec. 6. It will begin at 7 p.m. on the Welland Canal Pathway between Linwell Road and Scott Street. All are welcome to attend.
For more information on the memorial or other programming related to the 16 Days of Activism, visit HRE’s website or ExperienceBU.
