Made up of fourteen solemn gray stones standing together in a circle honouring the 14 young women killed at Montreal’s École Polytechnique on December 6, 1989, the campus’ “Memorial of Hope” is meant to serve as a daily reminder of efforts to end violence against women.
From the plaque:
MEMORIAL OF HOPE
The 14 women whose names are inscribed here have been forever linked by the violent act that ended their lives. This MEMORIAL OF HOPE honours those lives, deplores their tragic loss, and stands to renew constantly our resolve to build, strengthen and support peaceful resolutions in our society.
On December 6, 1989, at Montreal's L Ecole Polytechnique, a young man with a gun entered a class of engineering students, ordered women to one side, then opened fire on them, killing six.
He continued shooting in the cafeteria, hallways and a second classroom before he killed himself. All of the 14 victims who died that day were women, 13 engineering students and one staff member. In addition, he injured 27 people. The victims were unknown to the gunman, who blamed feminists for his own failures, and therefore targeted women studying in a non-traditional field.
The MEMORIAL OF HOPE seeks to recognize these women with material that the students would have used in their engineering careers.
In contemplating this tragedy, we must take action against other barriers to justice and equality that still face many Canadians. Violence continues to damage lives across Canada with women under 25 years of age suffering the most.
This Memorial stands to serve as a catalyst for action and commitment to peace. If you or someone you know is living with violence in their life please contact the Student Counselling Centre on campus, or call 911 and ask for Victim Services of Windsor and Essex County. Together we can stop the violence.
From: (
visit link)
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women.
As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, December 6 represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also an opportunity to consider the women and girls for whom violence is a daily reality, and to remember those who have died as a result of gender-based violence. And finally, it is a day on which communities can consider concrete actions to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.