OTTAWA — September 5, 2011 marked the third anniversary of the unsolved disappearances of Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander from Maniwaki, Québec. It was also the day when 30 Days of Justice 2011 began.

Now entering its second week, 30 Days of Justice is an event organized by Families of Sisters in Spirit and its allies to bring awareness to the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada; honor their memories; support their families; and demand an end to the violence perpetrated against Indigenous women.

Cendrine Marrouat: How do you usually work with families?

Kristen Gilchrist: We try our best to work with families on a one-on-one basis or with other families present.  But because of constraints in our budget (we can’t travel to see families) we do a lot of our support via the internet (facebook and email), over the telephone, or during events where we bring family members in. If a family member needs help writing a letter, circulating missing posters online, reaching out to the media, etc. we do our best to support them through this process.  When we are face-to-face we try to share meals, stories, and help family members to connect with other family members of community allies in their area. Just knowing that they are not alone is a huge measure of support.

Families of Sisters in Spirit is a new grassroots, volunteer and non-profit organization led by families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada.

Cendrine Marrouat: Hello Kristen, thank you for answering my questions. As a starter, tell us a little bit about you. 

Kristen Gilchrist: I’m a community activist in Ottawa in addition to being a full time PhD student (in Sociology) at Carleton University. I am also a survivor of violence. I am non-Aboriginal myself but a large part of my mother’s family are Native so I feel connected to the issue of violence on many different levels.