A powerful relay run advocating for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people (MMIWG2S) concluded its annual journey along British Columbia’s Highway 16 this past Sunday in Terrace. The Tears to Hope Society’s event, which began in 2019, has become a significant annual demonstration of remembrance and a call for action.

A Spiritual Journey of Remembrance

Participants like Holly Roberge (Gixdii Motx) describe the experience of running in the relay along the remote Highway 16 as deeply spiritual. “There’s a different loved one pictured, at the beginning and the end,” Roberge explained. “When I choose these runs, I smudge and I bring strength and prayers to this family… If I can see the river, it, you know, calms me, and it gives me that strength that I need.”

The relay follows four converging routes from Smithers, Nass Valley, Prince Rupert, and Kitimat, with each runner covering a 10-kilometer stretch. Along these routes, signs bearing the photos of over 50 individuals who never returned home serve as constant reminders. These visual tributes underscore the tragic reality of the Highway of Tears, where 18 known cold cases of women, many Indigenous, have been recorded since 1969, alongside several ongoing investigations.

Personal Stories Fuel the Advocacy

For families like Sheridan Martin’s, the relay’s visibility is profoundly meaningful. Her sister, Cindy Martin, went missing in 2018 at the age of 50, with her remains discovered in 2022. “I can’t begin to tell you how important that is to see my sister’s picture along the highway there,” Martin stated. “It’s not just a name. It’s not just statistics. It’s an actual face in colour. So that means a lot to me.”

Denise Halfyard, manager for the Tears to Hope Society, emphasized that the relay serves as a vital reminder that families of those lost along and near Highway 16 will never forget their relatives. She believes that raising awareness transcends mere public demonstrations, stating, “Her cousin, Tamara Chipman, disappeared near Prince Rupert in the fall of 2005. “With my cousin’s case, now that it’s been 20 years people who may know something are 20 years older and maybe it’s eating away at them,” Halfyard shared. “Maybe they’re starting to feel like they need to unload that information and let us know where she is.”

The Genesis of a Movement

Halfyard’s family has been dedicated to advocating for MMIWG2S along the Highway of Tears and nationwide for two decades. Lorna Brown, executive director of the Tears to Hope Society and Halfyard’s mother, recounted the movement’s humble beginnings. It started with a sketch on a restaurant napkin in Witset, B.C., following her niece’s disappearance. Brown explained that during a conversation about a planned awareness walk for missing girls and Chipman’s case, her cousin Karen Plazway began drawing tears and writing the names of the missing. “And then before you know it, the napkin was just filled with tears…. Karen said, ‘It’s like a highway of tears,’ and, thus, the movement was born.”

This grassroots initiative evolved, contributing to national MMIWG2S campaigns and international attention, including a cross-country walk by Brown’s sister, Gladys Radek. “It’s not work we ever asked to do but it feels like almost a responsibility, which in so many ways seems unfair,” Lorna Brown reflected. “As Indigenous women, we have to resist so much violence… and we keep on, even just creating space, because it’s not just about us.”

Family-Centered Advocacy and Enduring Commitment

Brown attributes the Tears to Hope Society’s success to its family-focused approach. “I feel like as Tears to Hope, we’ve actually created a stage. We didn’t wait for a stage, we actually created that,” Brown said. “It’s the others that come alongside us to support what we do that allows us to keep going.” Sheridan Martin added, “It’s important that MMIW does not go silent.” She further emphasized the personal impact, stating, “I thought MMIW was a story of other families until Cindy went missing, and it became our story. Because of our brown skin, we’re going missing and it is because of the colour of the skin. We have to put that truth on the table.”

Authorities did not provide comment on the status of Tamara Chipman or Cindy Martin’s cases by the time of reporting. Roberge, however, expressed her unwavering commitment to the relay, vowing to participate annually. “I’ll be a lifelong runner if I can,” she declared. “I’ll run until I can’t to keep this movement going.”