Queen鈥檚 University took part in the Moose Hide Campaign on Thursday, May 12, for the first time. The Moose Hide Campaign is a nationwide grassroots movement of Indigenous men and boys seeking to end violence against women and children.
Organized by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the Queen鈥檚 event brought together supporters who walked from Tindall Field along Union Street and University Avenue to Agnes Benidickson field, where Elders-in-Residence and senior university leaders shared remarks on this important cause.
In a video to promote the event, Chancellor Murray Sinclair, a former Canadian Senator and an Indigenous lawyer and judge who served as chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, explains that the Moose Hide Campaign was created because of the importance of addressing issues around violence against women in our society and particularly the overrepresentation of Indigenous women as victims of murder and missing cases.
鈥淭he activities that are going on around the country at this time in order to support the campaign are significant and Queen鈥檚 commitment to doing this in terms of educating people at the university, but also partnering with other entities within the university and Kingston communities, is important,鈥 Chancellor Sinclair says. 鈥淲e want to encourage all of you to commit personally to addressing the issue of violence against women and doing what you can to support women who are victims of violence whether it鈥檚 domestic or acts of violence in public.鈥
and , a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, also pledged their support for the Moose Hide Campaign.
On University Avenue, red dresses once again adorned the light posts in support of the REDress Project, after first being displayed on May 5, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Gender Diverse People
The Moose Hide Campaign is best known for its signature pins 鈥 wearable pieces of moose hide designed to spark conversations about reconciliation and decolonization. A limited number of pins, and vegan alternatives, were made available to participants.
Learn more about both the REDress Project exhibit and the Moose Hide Campaign Event on the Office of Indigenous Initiatives website.
Originally published in the Queen's Gazette.