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The Heart has its Own Memory by Randy Tait
Third Place, Community Choice
For Randy Tait, the Missing Women’s Memorial Stone in Crab Park is a
resonant reminder of dear friends. “They used to come and visit me on
Hastings Street when I used to carve there,” he recalls. “Then, as years
went by I said, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen any of these girls for awhile.’
And next thing you know, it was on the news… It was very heartbreaking
to find out that they had gone missing.” For several decades, the
Downtown Eastside has experienced an epidemic of violence against women.
The women’s memorial march held each Valentine’s Day honours the lives
of missing and murdered women, and expresses community, compassion and
caring for all women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Coast Salish
Territories.
Randy Tait (Nisga’a and Gitxsan) has lived in the Downtown Eastside, off
and on, for 40 years. He has been in recovery for seven years, and has
stopped using drugs and alcohol. “What keeps me going is my native
spirituality and culture,” says Randy, who drums, sings and dances. He
also holds ceremonies for people in the neighbourhood, giving them tools
to let go of trauma and cleanse their body and spirit. Randy, who is
raising his grandson with his wife, says “Family members step in when
your loved ones are struggling.” He believes it is important for
aboriginal youth growing up in the city to stay connected to their
native traditional ways.
From the Hope in Shadows collection
COPYRIGHT: Pivot Legal Society, 2011
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