
A poverty awareness vigil at City Hall on Monday evening may have been silent, but the crowd of about 300 people who gathered was there to make their message loud and clear.
Demonstrators from the Sisters of Providence Justice and Peace Office joined the Make Poverty History campaign for a 45-minute vigil to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the silent vigils, which the Sisters of Providence began holding weekly in 1995.
“We’re here to remind people that poverty is still with us and it will never go away,” said Sheila Brady, a Kingston resident and member of the Sisters of Providence’s Prison Ministry. “We must remind people that there are people in Kingston who are very poor and need our help.” Students, Kingston residents, religious representatives, a women’s activist group called the Raging Grannies and members of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) attended the event.
Demonstrators encircled City Hall holding a large white banner.
Mandy Moore, ArtSci ’07 and co-coordinator for the Make Poverty History campaign on campus, said the banner was symbolic of the white silicone wristbands associated with the campaign.
“[The banner as] a visual statement is very powerful and can have a very strong impact,” she said.
AMS Social Issues Commissioner Jennifer Holub also said the banner was a symbolic gesture.
“[It indicates] the idea of thinking globally but acting locally,” she said.
Jamie Swift, co-director of the Justice and Peace Office of the Sisters of Providence, said the vigils began in response to cuts in social assistance.
“[We] started in 1995 when Premier [Mike] Harris was elected in June and one of the things he did was to cut back on social assistance,” he said. “There were violent protests and Shirley Morris, a Sister of Providence, decided to set up silent vigils weekly as another form of protest to the policy.” Holub said she hopes to encourage future student involvement in the vigil.
“Because of our position in university and our position in the education system, we have a responsibility to make good choices and speak out on social issues,” she said. “Students need to be aware that with greatness comes great responsibility and realize that events such as this silent vigil are things we need to involve ourselves in so we can take ownership of our community.”
Moore said she was attending the vigil to raise awareness.
“There is increasing disparity between the rich and poor and it is a gap we need to become more aware of,” she said.
Angela Pacey, ArtSci ’05, agreed.
“It is important that we understand the ways in which we contribute to creating poverty through our actions as consumers and our interaction with the environment,” she said.
Brenda Slomka, a University residence life coordinator who attended, said the vigil was being held to raise awareness about global and local poverty.
“It is a privilege to have this freedom, so I am here raising awareness for the silent as well,” she said.
Holub said she felt the vigil was a success.
“[It] is an effective way of communicating [a] political agenda as well as raising awareness to the ongoing issues that surround the marginalization of the lower class,” she said.
The silent vigil will continue weekly every Friday from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. outside City Hall.
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