(Ottawa, ON) ? March 8, 2024 ? On International Women?s Day, the Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is proud to honour and acknowledge the many gifts and successes of our Indigenous Matriarchs ? Mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties, granddaughters, nieces, and cousins. As life-givers, women are sacred in our diverse cultures and traditions, and we celebrate all Indigenous and Non-Indigenous women on this day.

The role of the Life-Giver must be honoured and respected, even those who are not yet born. Our children are the future generations that will carry on our stories, cultures, traditional healing practices and ways of being. They will be the ones to help bring back balance within our communities, promoting traditional wholistic health and well being. As we, as communities, continue to heal trauma and break cycles of discrimination and systemic barriers, we will also continue to strive for our women to have the representation they deserve in societies.

The roots of this day can be traced back to the 1900?s when women took to the street demanding better working conditions and voting rights. Today, we continue to see our women coming together and having their voices be heard. We acknowledge today with great respect the worth and contributions of Indigenous women to our communities and cultures. Today we celebrate their ongoing strength that they have demonstrated through all the adversities they have faced for centuries. Women continue to be at the forefront of significant movements advocating for their rights and the recognition of their land, along with achieving a better quality of life for their communities and empowering not only themselves but their People.

The LHF also grieves and solemnly recognizes the passing of numerous missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls who fell victim to Residential and Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and other genocidal systems.

Indigenous women and girls are the current and future matriarchs of our communities and are ultimately the important caretakers of our diverse cultures and traditions.

?Today, as we celebrate International Women?s Day, let us shine a spotlight on the remarkable Indigenous women whose resilience and leadership inspire us all. Autumn Peltier, Cindy Blackstock, Lillian Dyck, and so many more, are names that echo with the power of change, shaping a brighter future for generations to come. Thank you to all the wonderful women role models who make our world a better place and who enrich our lives!? Said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel at the LHF.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 24 years. The LHF?s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Child Welfare System on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage Canadians to address discrimination and injustice to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation.

The LHF has close to 30 educational exhibitions that promote awareness of Indigenous history that are free to borrow and is working on making exhibitions available online. LHF also has curriculum for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, two Podcast series, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Child Welfare System, and other colonial acts of oppression. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding to eliminate ongoing racism against Indigenous Peoples.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Teresa Edwards, B.A., LL.B / J.D.
Directrice générale et conseillère juridique interne
Fondation autochtone de l’espoir
tedwards@legacyofhope.ca