My family came to Canada from Eastern Europe at the turn of the 19th century and settled on the prairies where I was raised. In the 1970′s and 1980′s I lived in a small community in rural British Columbia. I was part of many circles there which intersected socially and politically. These circles included women of all backgrounds – those whose families had lived in the valley for generations and those who had arrived only recently to make the valley their home. There were people whose roots were Canadian, American, European, British, East Indian, Chinese to name a few. But my circles did not include any of the Aboriginal women who had been the original inhabitants of the valley and were a strong tribe who still made this their home.

At this time many of us became aware that the issue of violence against women and children was prevalent in the valley. We talked, we met, we had coffee, we sat in each other’s kitchens, told our stories and discussed what we could do to help those who were falling victim to this menace. Continue reading →