A display of shoes will again this year make a powerful statement about the ongoing issue of violence against women and girls.
Two Powell River women have organized a second annual shoe memorial to mark Friday, December 6, Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, the day is the anniversary of the murders of 14 women who were killed in 1989 at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal.
In recent years, shoe memorials have been organized in a variety of cities as a way to remember women who have been killed by violence. Each pair of shoes represents a woman or girl who has been murdered or is missing.
Angie Davey, who organized the memorial last year, is again working with Christine Schreiber, victim services coordinator with Powell River Police-Based Victim Services, to mount the display in Powell River Town Centre Mall. The shoe memorial will be on view during mall hours on Friday, December 6 near the north entrance. It is presented by Community Services Association, Powell River and Region Transition House Society and Powell River RCMP.
“As expected, last year’s shoe memorial was an impactful and solemn event,” said Schreiber. “You couldn’t help but be moved by the display and the stories represented by the shoes, although it was the footwear of the little children that seemed to evoke the most emotion.”
Some people stopped to share a story about a tragic event in their lives or the lives of a loved one and many more people asked how to help, Schreiber added. “Although the event is an awareness campaign and not a fundraising event, some people felt compelled to offer donations to our local women’s safe house. It was at last year’s event that we determined to make it an annual event in Powell River.”
Davey said they hope to increase the pairs of shoes from last year’s 100 to 120. Each pair of shoes will have a short biography of a woman or girl who lost her life at the hands of another through violence. “As I’ve done my share of researching the victims featured in the memorial, I’ve felt very connected to them, especially those who remain unidentified,” Davey said. “I think they’ll all stay with me for a very long time and I hope to some degree that’s true for those who visit and experience the memorial.”
Last year, the organizers arranged children’s shoes and clusters of shoes for families who were together when they were killed, Davey pointed out. “I noticed that while some people would just glance at the main display and keep walking, they’d do a dead stop when they spotted the small shoes grouped together or standing alone. There’s something about young lives cut short that’s especially heartbreaking and we need to do more to protect children and vulnerable women. I believe awareness is the first step.”
While the memorial focuses mainly on girls and women, the organizers expanded that scope as they encountered stories of families, including boys, who met violent ends together. “And while domestic violence between spouses is certainly the most prevalent in our sampling, there are also examples of other family members, roommates, tenants, co-workers, and of course strangers who were the offenders,” Davey said.
