After a hiatus in 2017, the woman who founded and organized Edmonton’s Memorial March for women for 12 years is bringing the annual event back for Valentine’s Day.
“Women are still going missing, women are still being killed,” Danielle Boudreau told CBC News on Sunday. “Violence is still taking our loved ones so it’s time we take a stand and start to find different solutions.”
Boudreau decided to cancel the 2017 march after finding it too difficult to organize on her own. She was also dealing with the grief of her son’s death in 2014.
“I just ended up walking away because I felt so overwhelmed. I had just had enough and I couldn’t do it anymore,” Boudreau said.
The Edmonton march had grown substantially in size since Boudreau started it in 2006. What began as about 60 people increased to hundreds marching for women they’ve lost to violence.
Danielle Boudreau didn’t realize how important the event was for her until last year, when Feb. 14 rolled around and for the first time in 12 years, there was no march. (CBC)
“I wanted to start the walk to have a place for family members to memorialize their loved ones, for people to meet and support one another and raise awareness about the losses we’ve suffered in Edmonton,” Boudreau said.
She didn’t realize how important the event was for her until last year, when Feb. 14 rolled around and for the first time in 12 years, there was no march.
“I just cried, like I shouldn’t have done this,” Boudreau said. “I decided, ‘I’m doing this walk, this is a part of my life and this is what Edmonton’s about.’ “
The Memorial March for women starts at 6 p.m. on Feb. 14 from Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in central Edmonton. More information is available here.