Legacy of Hope Foundation Begins the Thunder Bay Regional Session for the Wanishkahtan Project

(Ottawa, ON) January 29, 2020 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is pleased to announce the third regional group session for the Waniskahtan Project, which will be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The project seeks to honour the lives and legacies of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

The goal of these sessions is to gather feedback from families across Canada who have lost loved ones through violence and to help us create the best exhibition we can, in order to educate the public on the racism, sexism and violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. “By traveling directly to Indigenous communities, we are giving a chance to families affected by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to have a voice and to share their opinion about the development of the exhibition, to raise awareness of the discrimination and marginalization that Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals experience, and to identify solutions to address it,” stated LHF Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel, Teresa Edwards.

Individuals who are not able to make it to the sessions can participate by filling out the “Ways to Participate Form” that can be found directly on our website at legacyofhope.ca.

The end product will result in a travelling exhibition, Waniskahtan and accompanying Activity Guide on MMIWG and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to honour their lives lost, increase awareness of the issues that put them at risk, address male violence, and promote actions to protect everyone. This includes encouraging exhibition viewers to make a personal commitment to stand up against violence and promote peace. Waniskahtan, is Swampy Cree and means “wake up.” Once completed, this exhibition will be added to the 19 LHF exhibitions that circulate across Canada,

The LHF is a national Indigenous charitable organization whose purposes are to educate, raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of Residential Schools, including the Sixties Scoop and the intergenerational harms caused to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. LHF aims to support the ongoing healing process of Survivors and their families and to work with Canadians to take action to address racism and discrimination in order to promote equality and to foster Reconciliation.

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone:  613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca