Before February 13, 2014, I was blissfully ignorant to the dangers faced by Indigenous women such as myself. I shrugged off my family’s concern for a couple of months as I traveled solo from Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island by train, bus and hitchhiking.
They thought I’d be the one found dead, but on that day in February, my pregnant sister, Loretta Saunders, was murdered over a measly $810 by a couple subletting her apartment in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Ironically, she was writing her honour’s thesis on Indigenous women and girls who had gone missing or been murdered and how colonialist policies have designed the conditions that exist for the marginalized in Canadian society and ultimately perpetuating gender based violence.
My sister wasn’t killed because of her ancestry, but on that day in February, a valuable and brilliant voice was stolen from the Indigenous community, and an irreplaceable part of my family. Her passion, plight and deep understanding of the issue is what makes this a devastating loss, and a just cause for me and my family to continue nurturing. I’ve since vowed to be a huntress of truth and protection for all of our sisters, and I look forward to sharing what I have here on A4W Live.
Delilah Saunders blogs about her experience with grief and will be contributing regularly for A4W Live.
Read her posts on the 5 stages of grief here:
Delilah Saunders explores each stage of the grieving process
Delilah Saunders' experiences with the 5 stages of grief
Delilah Saunders unpacks the five stages of grief after the death of her sister Loretta
