Love Note: the Montreal Massacre

Love Note: The Montreal Massacre
Hello Dear Ones-

Today’s Love Note is a somber one in which I share with you a tragedy that occurred in Canada several decades ago, known widely as the Montreal Massacre.  Perhaps some of you are familiar with it.

In today’s message I wanted to bring to our attention this opportunity for awareness, solidarity, and remaining steadfast in our efforts for justice.  Much of our energy these days is centered on racial justice, and rightfully so.  Bringing to the fore remembrance of the Montreal Massacre (see details about it below) reminds us that the arms of justice embrace all who are marginalized.  Today we have the opportunity to pause and consider the oppression of women throughout many cultures, including our own.  May we not only take a moment to share the grief of our Canadian brethren but also to examine our own lives and community, continuing to actively work toward the disintegration of misogyny.

Blessings and love to each of you,
Lori

Remembering the Women Killed in the Montreal Massacre
The date was Dec 6, 1989 and the place was the University of Montreal.   On that cold and drizzly day a young man brandishing a firearm entered a classroom at the Ecole Polytechnique.  Of the approximately 60 students present, the gunman ordered the men to leave the room, and began shooting in the classroom and then throughout the college building, eventually taking the lives of 14 women.                              
The “Montreal Massacre”  is the worst mass murder in the history of Canada.

The gunman had previously been denied admission to this technical degree program in a field traditionally occupied by men.  Before opening fire he shouted, “You’re all a bunch of feminists, and I hate feminists!”    

Since that day Canada remembers and mourns this national tragedy.

Let us remember and honor those women injured and killed that day, as well as all women who suffer gender-based violence.