TLC Talks MMIWG & the Full Moon Memory Walk

Hi, everybody, my name is Sandy Boucher and welcome back to the Learning Curve. We had some interesting shows in the last little while leaning more to the academic side, but things are going to change today when we talk about something incredibly personal and incredibly important. But before I talk about today's show, I do want to send out, like the big thank you Achy Miigwec, to all of those people that are stopping me in the mall or on the street to say that they've seen the show and that they appreciate what they're learning. That's exactly why I wanted to do this, to help build those bridges and increase understanding for the people in the city of Thunder Bay. And I certainly so appreciate your comments. And of course, any topic, if there's something you don't understand, please send me an email or text me or stop me in the mall and let me know and I'll be happy to do a show on it in the future. And one other thing, I do have a special request. If you really love this show, send a message to Shaw because they love to hear that you are watching and we need to let them know how important this show is. So thank you, as always. Now we're going to talk about today's show and I have such an important guest to introduce you to.

She is humble as she is strong.

She has a powerful message and like so many other people I know, she does so much with so little. I'm talking about Sharon Johnson. She's an MMIW family member and if you don't remember, that stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. And she is the volunteer organizer of the Full Moon Memory Walk and the Valentine's Day Memory Walk. You may have seen those advertisements in the city and wondered what it's all about. Well, today we're going to give you that information. So as always, grab your coffee, get in your comfy chair, and I'll meet you back here in a few minutes as together we walk through the learning curve. Hi, everybody. Once again, it's Sandy Boucher. And today I have Sharon Johnson with me and we're going to be talking.

About the full Full Moon Memory Walk.

So first off, Sharon, welcome to the show. It's awesome having you.

I know we had some.

You are a busy lady.

We had fun scheduling this between our two schedules. That was entertaining to say the least. But I'm glad you're here.

Yes, thank you.

First and foremost, I start off every show with letting the viewers know who you are as a person. So where are you from originally? I know the answer. That's why I'm grinning.

Okay. I'm from. I'm from the Saint River First Nation. Yes. And I grew up. And I grew up on the reserve. Okay. Right up until my early 20s. Okay. And yeah, I've been living in Thunder Bay. I moved to Thunder Bay when. When I had my first son. Okay. Yeah. Who is now 27.

Okay. So it's about 27 years you've been in the city.

Okay.

I think it's 25 for me. And if people are wondering why I was grinning so big, Seine river is my res, too. I didn't live on the rez, but.

I know it's like Seine river represent Woot.

Woot.

So. Awesome.

So you've been in the city a long time?

Yes, I've been here for a long time.

Awesome. And you're choosing to stay?

Well, I've stayed up until now. I've. I talked about moving back home, like, in the last. Maybe the last two or three years. I thought about moving back home when my. When my late mother. When she started to get sick, but that didn't happen. I just did a lot of traveling back and forth to my reserve to go stay with her and to go look after her. So now I'm kind of, you know, just still thinking about moving home. You know, it is a nice place to be at.

Yeah.

It's peaceful there on reserve around my late mother's house. I really enjoy being there, but for now, yes. This is where I am and been very busy since I came back from there.

You were always busy. I think we have to accept at some point we like it that way.

I think so.

Right.

Yeah. Well, for me, it kind of happens in little spurts.

Yeah.

You know, where I'll start planning something, and somebody just usually comes in, puts a bug in my ear, like, yeah, we should do this, and why don't we do this or that, and then like, okay, and then I'll think about it for a few days and like, yeah, I think we could do this, you know, and then we'll start planning something again. And it's usually with family members or close friends.

Have you always been a go getter like that, that just you get an idea and you're just gonna go for it? Because I know a lot of people come up with ideas and it never goes past the idea stage. That's definitely not you. So. Have you always been like that?

No, not. It hasn't been always like that. I think it was more like. I think it was more around the time the memorial walk started in 2005. When, you know, when I noticed, you know, when I think back to it now, when I started taking part in the planning of the memorial walks and I. I focused my energy on doing that. Yeah. Because I was at the college at the time, and I went from a college to the university and. Yeah. So I got more involved with. With events and I just found that, you know, if I kept busy, I was. I seemed to be okay, you know, because I was grieving. Right. I was grieving after. After the loss of my little sister, Sandra, and then my. Then my dad a year after Sandra. Oh, wow. And then my younger. My younger brother, sterling. So those three happened between 92 to 96. Okay. So I was grieving lots. And, yeah, I think if it wasn't for, you know, I think if it wasn't for the decision to go back to school and to do something with my life, I think I probably would have had a difficult time, you know, if I didn't try it out. But I decided I would try school. And I went from college to the university and then the walk.

Yeah, exactly.

Wow.

You are one of the most humble people I have ever met. But you did make some. And you're right, having. I've never grieved in the way you have. I don't want to imply that at all, but I know grief, having lost family members, and you're right. It's those decisions you make, it's so hard to get through sometimes, and it.

Could go either way.

Yes.

Now, I did want to mention for the viewers that I did introduce you first and foremost as an MMI IW family member, and you touched on it briefly, that you lost your baby sister, Sandra. She's one of the missing and murdered indigenous women.

Right.

Now, when was that? 96, did you say?

This was in 19. February. February 1992 was when. Was when we lost her. When she was murdered.

Yeah. And that was here in the city of Thunder bay.

Right. Leaving McIntyre. Floodway.

Okay. So time passes and you deal with your personal grieving. Obviously, I can't even imagine how horrendous that was for you. And then this idea comes up for a memorial walk. So why a walk? What was your hope? What were you trying to accomplish? I guess. And I realized it wasn't just you in the beginning. Right. There were quite a few people involved.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, the idea. The idea came from. From a meeting that we had at the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship center after I met with the late Lynn Charman.

Okay.

I knew that she was involved with. With the grassroots organization, or Grassroots committee, they call themselves. That's right, Grassroots committee. So there was Lynn Charman, and there was two. There was two men that were working with her at the time. So they were doing a lot of work in. In. In Thunder Bay around violence against women and missing and murdered women, which I didn't really know about at the time. Like, I. I didn't know that, you know, that this was happening until it happened to my family. So. Yeah, up until that point, when I met Lynn Charman in 1992, I can't even remember now where I met her. But I know that there was. There was always something in the paper, like. I think it was like an annual thing. There's always something in the paper for. For about the first ten years after Sandra. After we lost Sandra, there was always something in the paper on. Around February.

Okay.

You know, that. The anniversary date. And I would cut out. You know, I would cut out the newspaper clippings, and I would just keep them, you know, keep them with me. Keep them in a binder or whatever. And I didn't know why I was doing that, but. So when I met Lynn, I knew she was doing this work, but I kind of stayed away from everyone. I kind of stayed away from everything, from the media and the protests and, you know, there was all kinds of stuff going on that. That I just watched on the news.

Okay.

And it scared me. It scared me. And I couldn't even imagine, like, being a part of that.

Right.

But. Yeah, but I. You know, at the same time, I couldn't. I couldn't talk about. I couldn't even mention Sandra's name without breaking down and crying.

Right.

Yeah. And that's how badly I was grieving. And it was such a difficult time for all of us, for my whole family. I think it was just with the help of counselors, many counselors. I can't even count how many counselors I went through during that time after, you know, after 1992. And I think it was when I was at the college, when I decided to apply for college for upgrading. That's when I started to. Got more involved, you know, with talking to people about how we lost Sandra. And so I kind of like, you know, just. Just a little more each time I found that courage to speak her name and to say her name without breaking down and crying. So it took a long time.

Yeah, I bet. So then this meeting happens at the Friendship Center.

Yeah. The meeting with Lynn wanted to. She wanted to plan another meeting, you know, When I. When I met up with her. And so when I met her at the Friendship Center, I was doing a placement there. I was doing a job placement through my college program. And I would see Lynn every day. She was at one end of the Friendship center, and I was at the other end with my supervisor. So I would see her every day going into her office, and I would go the other way. And she didn't know who I was. We met, like, in, you know, in 1992 or somewhere after that time. And I still didn't want to go approach her and to talk to her, but it wasn't until something really, something had to happen, you know, and that was another. But that's another story, you know, where my. My placement didn't work out.

Okay?

It didn't work out for me. And I was just devastated, you know, that I worked. I thought I worked so hard for. To get to where I was in my program, and I was finally doing my job placement, and it didn't work out. So then I was told, okay, so, you know, you have to reapply for the program or start over.

Oh, wow.

Something like that. And I was just devastated. And so this was when I. When I met Lynn. And so that's when I finally decided to approach her, to talk to her. Wow.

Everything for a reason, right?

And then she pulled me aside and she said, yeah, let's go talk some more.

Awesome.

We're gonna have to take a short break, but so go refill that coffee or water and head back to that comfy chair. And we'll be back in a few minutes to. I can talk to continue with Sharon Johnson and talking about the full moon memory walk. Foreign. And welcome back to the Learning Curve. Today we're with Sharon Johnson, and we're talking about the full moon memory walk.

So you.

Before the break, you were talking about.

This very important meeting at the Friendship Center. So continue with your story.

Yeah. So what happened at the Friendship center was when I met with Lynn Charman for the first time again, I had to go reintroduce myself to her, and she immediately pulled me aside, and she said, I want to talk some more. And, you know, how have you been doing? And, you know, she just had all these questions for me, and she was very interested in Sandra's case and Sandra's story, and she wanted to talk some more. So I said, okay, well, we'll meet. Meet again and go for coffee or something. And. And then that's when she, you know, she eventually set up a date for a meeting okay. And at that meeting, she invited. She invited one person from the. From the university. I think it was the Aboriginal Awareness Center.

Okay.

I believe that's where it was. And then somebody from Anwa, somebody from the Friendship Center Center. There was up to 8 or 10 of us that. Wow, okay, that met for our first meeting. And so our first meeting. So we just kind of talked about the violence in the city and how, you know, how families were being affected, and we talked about what more we could. Could do. And at the time, I was, you know, just kind of sitting in for the meeting and listening, and I. And I told Lynn, you know, I didn't really know how I could be involved.

Right.

You know, I didn't know. So I was just kind of putting around there and fixing up papers and making coffee and stuff like that.

Okay.

So I figured that as much as I was going to do for that meeting, meeting and then leave and then maybe just let them do it, but then. Yeah. So after that meeting happened, we said, we set a date for September. We said, yeah, we'll do something in September.

Why September, out of curiosity?

Well, we picked September because that was the year my sister was born, my late sister. She was born on September 26, 1973. So we picked September. And then also to give us some time to plan in the months ahead, right then the full moon. Lynn had this idea to do the walk on the day of the full moon. So we went with that. We said, okay, so September, full moon. And then everybody went their way. And then we didn't meet again that summer. We didn't. Everybody just got busy and went there, went their way, and. But it wasn't until September of that year, I. I had that in my. That date in my mind the whole time. But I kind of wonder, like, what happened with our planning meetings. They didn't happen. So that one day I was walking and I noticed, like, the moon was full or almost full, you know, and I went home and called her up. I called up Lynn and I asked her, hey, I said, whatever happened with our planning meetings and are we still going to do this walk? And she said, no. She said, well, we didn't really. We didn't plan anything. And, you know, everybody just went their way and everybody got busy. She said. And I said, yeah, I guess you're right. And then she says, unless you want to. She said, unless you want to do something. She said, and. And I had to decide right then and there. And I said, yeah, okay, let's do it. I said. And she said, okay, well, we'll get on her. We'll get on the phone and we'll call family and friends and we'll just email people, people and see who all can come out tomorrow. And it was the next day, so we. We rounded up like maybe 35 to 40 people.

That's amazing.

Okay, so, yeah, so for our first walk, it was just us walking and one of my cousins painted a banner. Okay. Painted a banner. And then Lynn sewed it up so that we could put two sticks attached to sticks to it. That's how we made the first banner. So my cousin painted that. And where did you walk? Oh, we started from. We started from in front of a pawn shop.

Okay.

At the corner of Simpson in Victoria.

Okay.

Well, we met at the old Anwah Building on May Street.

Okay.

That's where we were going to start walking from.

Yep.

So that's where we were all waiting around outside for Lynn while she was getting ready. Her apartment was right beside the old Anwar building. Okay. So we all gathered outside Anwar and we said, okay, we'll start from here. But then when Lynn came out, she said, well, why don't we start from the corner of Simpson over there? Just walk from Simpson and go down Victoria. Okay. So that's where we all walked over there. And we started walking and. Yeah. And then we just walked down Simpson and over the Pacific Avenue Bridge and over to the neighbouring McIntyre Floodway where my late sister's body was found.

Wow.

And that's where we walked. We ended right there in the grassy area just right above where her body was found. That's where we stopped and just formed a little circle and stood around and we said, okay, now we're here. We did it.

Yeah.

So then that's when we just decided, okay, well, we'll just, you know, whoever wants to talk or. Share story if there's any other family members here, maybe they want to say something. So that's what we did. We just took turns talking. And my late aunt, she said a prayer for us. And my cousin, she sang a song on her hand drum and. And. And then we. We all took turns talking. And pretty soon we're standing there, it was getting dark, and then we all headed back.

Oh, wow.

Yeah. So that's how that all started.

So that started in 2005, but you just had one for this year, right?

Yeah.

So it's grown a bit.

Yeah.

Since that first one. I see the advertisements everywhere. What kind of crown did you have out this year?

Well, this year I would say we had about a hundred, 150.

That wouldn't surprise me. I don't think anyone does an official count, but I know everyone I talked to that day was like, I gotta go because I'm on my way to the walk. Right. So that's amazing. And is it the same route or has that changed now?

Now? Yes, it is the same route. It is the same. Oh, yeah. Okay, wait. No, it. It starts from the city hall.

Okay.

It starts from the city hall, but that only started a few years ago, and that was through the suggestion of our former aboriginal liaison, which is Anna Gibbon.

Okay.

Yeah.

And that was her. One of her suggestions to start there and to do the flag racing, so.

Oh, wow.

Were her ideas. And we said, okay, we'll try it out. And then. Then we just stayed there and so.

Do you have a flag you raise at the beginning of the walk? Oh, I didn't realize that.

Wow. We do. We do have a flag that we had made probably going on three years now or four years.

Wow.

We've been raising the flag at City hall. And so that's through, you know, through the help of the city.

Right.

You know, they help to get that in place for us.

Who comes out to walk? Who's invited to walk?

I guess pretty much anyone and everyone is invited to come and walk. And I've just had to remind people over the years that this is not like a protest walk, because at one time there was people wanting to come and join us and do a protest. And I had to tell them, no, this is not. That's not what it's about. You know, it's a sacred walk for families of missing and murdered, you know, families and friends in the community, communities that are affected by the, you know, the. The violence and the unsolved murders and all the missing women.

So if you haven't been touched directly, like, it's not your family or friend that has been missing or murdered, can you still join the walk to support the people that are.

Oh, yeah, there's lots of people that. There's lots of people that come out in the city that say, maybe. Maybe an organization or a business that supports the walk. They'll come out and they'll bring their banners and their flags and. And everybody will make, you know, designer design posters. You know, I. I encourage people to design posters, but.

Keeping in mind that it's immemorial, not a protest, like you.

Said, for their family members or someone that they know. Awesome.

So you have the Full Moon memory walk every September, but you have another one in on Valentine's Day as well now.

Yes. So, so that one is the, the Valentine's Day Memorial Walk. Okay. And that one is. Will be 10 years this year.

Wow.

Yeah. So that one will be 10 years in February. And that one was kind of like an idea that I had to, to do one, you know, because I, I, I know that there was other, other places that, that do the walks on Valentine's Day. And I thought, well, since, you know, my sister, we lost her on February 3rd, 13th.

Oh, wow.

The day before Valentine's Day. And, you know, I approached some of the volunteers that year, and I asked them, like, what do you guys think? You know, what do you guys think about doing a walk on Valentine's Day? And, you know, and people just said, yeah, well, you know, we'll, we'll help. We'll volunteer, we'll, we'll donate something. And so that's how that one started too.

Wow.

So if people want more information on.

The walk, how can they get hold of you?

Is there a Facebook page or.

It's mostly through. Yeah, it is mostly through Facebook. There's a Facebook group and.

Okay, there is a group.

It's just called Full Moon Memory Walk. Okay. So people can contact me through there. They can join a Facebook group, and I have my two contact numbers on there, so I do get phone calls as well.

Okay.

And yeah, just by word of mouth, too, I think, is another way that people let each other know, and that.

Is always so powerful. Right. So awesome. Let me be one of many, I assume, who have said it, but you're a pretty amazing woman, and the work you've done, the continue to do over these years, what a beautiful. My entire career honors my mom. And the work you do, honoring your sister in this way is just absolutely beautiful. And you're helping other people to heal, which makes it even more amazing. So thank you so, so much for coming out today.

You're welcome. And thank you for having me.

Awesome as always.

I hope you take the information you learned today and use it in conversation. Mention the Full Moon Memory Walk to your friends. Ask if they've heard about it. Have these discussions, because that's how we get through the learning curve together.

That's how we bring this city together.

Until next time, have a great day. Take care of yourself.

Bye.

Bye.