About this Event
The UIC candlelight vigil and prayer walk pay tribute to the countless names stolen from our families and communities. We gather to honor the testimonies of those who have survived state-sanctioned, gendered, and sexual violence and to remember the lives of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives. For generations, Indigenous families and advocates have carried the truth of this crisis speaking the names of those taken and refusing to let their stories disappear. As more truths begin to surface and the world slowly begins to listen, we remain rooted in the knowledge our communities have always held. To raise awareness of the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR), we invite kin and allies to join us for a water prayer, candlelight vigil, and prayer walk. Together we gather in remembrance, in prayer, and in collective commitment to honor those we have lost, uplift the voices of survivors, and continue the call for justice, healing, and accountability.
Central Park Pond
We will begin with a water prayer. The water becomes a conduit for our prayers, voices and memories, holding the stories of our missing and murdered relatives as we honor their lives and call for justice. The nature of this prayer walk will provide protection and raise awareness, as passersby are confronted with the plight of our women, Trans and Two-Spirit relatives who have been left behind, and fallen through the societal cracks of our community. In this walk, we invoke the medicine of Grief, bearing all its awful weight, to insist on being heard, insisting on preserving our dignity and a rejection of the systemic apathy of this crisis—a call on the urgency of both sacred rage and resistance.
Columbus Circle
Our second destination will bring us to Columbus Circle, where the first documented case of trafficking of Indigenous women came from a letter written by Christopher Columbus in 1500. As we gather at Columbus Circle, we confront the statue of Christopher Columbus, a symbol of colonialism, genocide, and the violent erasure of Indigenous peoples. His legacy is stained with the blood of our ancestors, whose actions laid the foundation for the ongoing exploitation and marginalization of Indigenous women, trans, and Two-Spirit relatives. It is here, at the very site where the seeds of our suffering were first sown, that we make our stand, and reclaim as a rallying point for resistance and resilience. Together, we reaffirm our commitment to dismantling the systems of oppression that continue to perpetuate violence against indigenous peoples. We demand the removal of this monument to colonization!
Here we will hold our candlelight vigil. The candlelight flame invites the missing and murdered to speak through us. As we hold each other in community, a safety net for our collective trauma as a gravitational force, and anchoring us inward connecting us to the resilience of our ancestors who come before us. We invite survivors and relatives to honor their loved ones and join us in solidarity.
Times Square
We will then walk to our final destination, in the heart of Times Square. We gather as warriors of truth, defenders of our kin, and stewards of our ancestral lands. Here, in the belly of the beast, where capitalism's neon glow attempts to drown out our cries, we rise undeterred, fueled by the fire of our ancestors' spirits and the unbreakable bonds of our Indigenous communities. With each beat of the drum, we march forward, reclaiming the sacred space of our stolen lands, reclaiming our voices. We refuse to be relegated to the shadows, to be erased from the narrative, or to be silenced by the deafening roar of consumerism . We are a living testament to the strength and resilience of indigenous peoples everywhere. We are the descendants of survivors, the torchbearers of tradition, and the architects of our own liberation. In this concrete jungle, we plant the seeds of resistance, nurturing them with our prayers, our songs, and our commitment to justice.
We will be located directly at the plaza between 44th st and 43st on 7th ave.
Participation
Participation in prayers, songs, and storytelling is voluntary and offered in honor of all our relatives impacted by the ongoing crisis.
Google Form for participation and/or Honoring of a relative: https://forms.gle/ZF7Wd99z9fTzLuWg9
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable attire and bring a red umbrella, along with red dresses to hang from their umbrellas.Community members are also invited to bring water for the water prayer, photographs in frames to honor their relatives, as well as prayers, songs, flowers, art, drums, instruments, medicines, and candles. Organizations and Tribal Nations are encouraged to bring their organizational banners.
Agenda
🕑: 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Opening Water Prayer
Info: Location: Gapstow Bridge, New York, NY 10019
🕑: 07:30 PM - 08:30 PM
Vigil at Columbus Circle
Info: Location: Columbus Circle 848 Columbus Cir, New York, NY 10019. ( Exact meeting location will be at the statue in the middle of the circle)
🕑: 08:30 PM - 09:30 PM
Vigil at Time Square
Info: We will gather at our final destination at Time Square and form a circle for the vigil.
Re-Introduction’s will be made as well as song and drum.
We will invite speakers to share stories, poems, or reflections.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Gapstow Bridge, Gapstow Bridge, New York, United States
USD 0.00
