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Members of the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute (ANSJI) recently attended 'Together We Rise', in Halifax, a community rally in solidarity with victims and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).
The rally came on the heels of several recent incidents of gender-based violence resulting in the deaths of several women at the hands of their intimate partners in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Since the rally, police in Bridgewater have charged a man with the murder of his wife, who is also believed to be a victim of intimate partner violence.
One of the more notable recent instances took place on New Year's Eve in Halifax. There was a heavy police presence on Gottingen Street following the deaths of Corelee 'Alisha' Smith and her father, Bradford 'Coy' Downey.
Smith and Downey are believed to have been killed by Smith's intimate partner who was later found dead, believed to have taken his own life.
Smith, Downey, and Smith's partner were all African Nova Scotians.
The rally started outside the Halifax Regional Police headquarters on Gottingen Street, where gatherers heard words from the rally's organizers.
From there, the gatherers marched to the courthouse on Spring Garden Road, where guest speaker Lynn Galant Blackburn shared thoughts on the courts' role in combating gender-based violence.
From there, everyone marched to Parade Square outside of Halifax City Hall, where they listened to speeches from a number of guest speakers.
"We march today because silence is no longer an option." -Wyndolyn Brown
Among the speakers was a Black lady named Wyndolyn Brown (12:59), the founder and CEO of Empowerment for Hope Society, a non-profit organization that strives to help families break free of the cycles of violence, abuse, and trauma.
"As a survivor myself, I know the weight of fear, the pain of isolation, and the feeling of being trapped with no way out,” Brown told the crowd.
Brown said that although "domestic violence does not discriminate," it can still affect different groups of people in different ways, and honed in specifically on the Black community.
"In the African Nova Scotian community, we face unique barriers – systematic racism, generational trauma, and a lack of culturally responsive support services. These challenges make it even harder for our women and our men and our families to break free from cycles of abuse. We cannot allow this to continue," said Brown.
Brown's thoughts were echoed by ANSJI's Manager of the Data Collection and Justice System Accountability Unit, Dr. Tiffany Gordon (0:33), in an interview with ANSJI's Communications Department immediately following the rally.
"Different communities have different experiences," said Gordon.
"And violence (in Black communities) is often a response to context, and sometimes a response to trauma as well."
"Looking at the research, it has to do with people's various experiences [...] but (also) knowing that there can be differences in terms of rural, and cities, and even marginalized groups."
"It's important because we're here, we're all affected by violence in certain ways, and some of us have experienced it, or had family members, or even if you don't know it personally, it's an issue of justice. And I work for the Justice Institute, and this is what we do," said Gordon.
"Gender-based violence is an area that I research, and I think it's really important for us to continue to raise awareness about the harm experienced by women, and children, and people who are vulnerable to abuse." - Dr. Tiffany Gordon
After speaking outside the courthouse, author and advocate Lynn Gallant Blackburn was the first of several speakers at Grand Parade Square (2:31).
"After my 36-year-old sister, Paula Ann Gallant, was murdered in the safety of her home by a man she loved and trusted, I vowed to not only find justice for her but to ensure her death served a meaningful purpose."
"Men's violence against women has no boundaries. The "she" may be someone's mother, someone's teacher, someone's neighbour, maybe it's the lady serving you lunch or cutting your hair. It can happen to someone you know, like my sister. We need to stand up and not settle for anything less than action," said Gallant Blackburn.
Claudia Chender, the leader of the provincial NDP which is the official opposition party in the Nova Scotia Legislature, spoke next about he government's role and her efforts as an MLA to combat the epidemic of intimate partner violence in the region (7:38).
"When we brought legislation banning non-disclosure agreements, the government said, 'Well we don't really need that. It's not what they're doing in other provinces,'" said Chender.
"When we brought legislation declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic and codifying what was found in 'Turning the Tide' (The Final Report of the Mass Casualty Commission), we were told it's only symbolic. And it was only because a group of survivors and advocates shamed this government into passing that bill that we did. And it is only because that bill became law, I believe, that we are able to name the epidemic that is happening and unfolding as we speak. I truly believe that without that legislation, we wouldn't know that we've had seven victims in the last several months because we wouldn't have had a name for it."
Chender was followed by Wyndolyn Brown, who was then followed by comments from Liz LeClair (16:21), a volunteer for 'Can't Buy My Silence', an organization dedicated to stopping the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
"It is only one part of all of this," said LeClair.
LeClair was very critical in her comments of the provincial PC government and Premier Tim Houston for what she feels is inaction on the passing of Bill 144, which seeks to ban the misuse of NDAs.
"We have, multiple times, invited this Premier to be in solidarity with us," said LeClair. "Where is he right now? He planned briefings on bills which he did not have to do today, and he is somewhere over close to the legislature, ignoring what we're talking about today. That sends a signal to all of us about what matters."
"I know he’s standing behind the ministers, the women in his cabinet, hiding behind them, using them as defense against making changes for legislation that we know could make a really big difference in this province," said LeClair.
LeClair then encouraged everyone to join her and the organizers on a march that concluded down the street outside of the Provincial Legislature building.
Once outside the legislature, the crowd heard from trauma therapist Kristina Fifield (19:19), who helped organize the event.
"It is so important that we are not normalizing violence, that violence does not remain in the silo," said Fifield.
Fifield stressed that everyone has a role to play in what she described as the "cultural shift" that is needed to push back against gender-based violence and specifically cited workplaces, the education system, institutions, universities, and governments.
"We need to ensure that we have the right people at the table," she said. "Too often our marginalized communities and survivors are not in these spaces when governments are making decisions about legislation and law about funding. We need to hear from the people who have been impacted."
"Our rural communities are too often impacted by intimate partner violence and gender-based violence because of the complexities of rural living. We need to ensure our rural communities, our marginalized communities, are properly supported with the resources that are needed to address the epidemic of gender based violence," said Fifield.
Fifield ended by thanking everyone who came out and said that this was the biggest turnout of men that she had seen in these types of spaces in the sixteen years she has been doing her work.
"This is part of the cultural shift that is needed, and we are better together, so take good care."
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