Annual Relay Run Amplifies Calls for Justice on Highway of Tears
An annual relay run advocating for murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals (MMIWG2S) concluded Sunday in Terrace, British Columbia. This year’s event, organized by the Tears to Hope Society, saw participants traverse sections of Highway 16, famously known as the Highway of Tears, in northwestern B.C.
Holly Roberge, who identified herself as Gixdii Motx, described the experience of running along the highway as deeply spiritual. “There’s a different loved one pictured, at the beginning and the end,” Roberge shared. “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.”
Launched in 2019, the Tears to Hope Society’s relay aims to raise awareness and push for action regarding the numerous Indigenous individuals who have gone missing or been murdered along Highway 16. This year’s event featured four converging routes originating from Smithers, Nass Valley, Prince Rupert, and Kitimat, with each runner covering a 10-kilometre stretch. Along these routes, more than 50 signs display photographs of loved ones who never returned home.
Personal Stories Fuel Advocacy
The Highway of Tears has been linked to at least 18 known cold cases of women, many of whom are Indigenous, dating back to 1969, along with several ongoing investigations. Sheridan Martin spoke about the profound impact of seeing her sister Cindy Martin’s image displayed. Cindy Martin was 50 when she disappeared in 2018; her remains were 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 constant reminder that families of those affected by violence along and near Highway 16 have not forgotten their relatives. She believes that raising awareness is crucial, stating, “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… Maybe they’re starting to feel like they need to unload that information and let us know where she is.” Halfyard’s cousin, Tamara Chipman, vanished near Prince Rupert in the fall of 2005.
A Movement Born from Grief
Halfyard’s family has been actively involved in advocating for MMIWG2S along the Highway of Tears and across the nation for two decades. Lorna Brown, executive director of the Tears to Hope Society and Halfyard’s mother, recounted the origins of their movement. It began with a conversation and a sketch on a restaurant napkin in Witset, B.C., following the disappearance of her niece.
Brown explained that her cousin, Florence Naziel, was discussing a planned awareness walk with Karen Plazway, her niece, concerning missing girls in the region and Chipman’s case. “She said, you know, ‘I need to come up with a name for our walk coming up in March…’ Karen began to draw tears…. She was writing the names of those that had gone missing,” Brown recalled. “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 effort evolved, contributing to the broader national MMIWG2S campaigns and garnering 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-Centric Approach and Ongoing Commitment
Brown attributes the success of the Tears to Hope Society’s advocacy 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,” she 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 shared a personal realization: “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 have not yet provided comment on the status of Tamara Chipman or Cindy Martin’s cases. Roberge expressed her unwavering commitment to the relay, stating, “I’ll be a lifelong runner if I can. I’ll run until I can’t to keep this movement going.”
