Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. A day of Remembrance, Reflection, and Respect.

People know that I have been involved in ‘the peace movement’, the White Peace Poppy, and Social Justice issues for many year. And by extension – so has the store.

Remembrance Day came out of the First World War because the scale and horrors of the war convinced people that we should ‘never forget’ and let that be our guide to work to avoid conflicts like that war in the future.

We have failed in that noble goal. At present, there are many wars being fought around the world for many different reasons. We think it’s important to talk about war as not something in the distant past but still very much a part of our current reality should we choose to educate ourselves about it.

Wars affect more than those that are actually dressed in military uniforms, have weapons and are following orders by some state or organisation. Beyond the combatants, there are the civilians (mothers, daughters, children, brother, aunts, uncles, etc), the infrastructure, the animals, plants, the environment, and long-term debt to the societies on the whole.

“Wars” typically apply to armed conflicts where people kill other people. But there are more ‘wars’ going on than these armed conflicts. There are battles for justice, racism, anti-disparity, colonialism, gender, human rights, resources, water, power, etc.

Right now, there is a situation happening in North Dakota regarding the building of a pipeline. The Standing Rock Sioux are taking a stand to protect their water supply.

If you are interested in showing your solidarity for this group of people, and indigenous people in general, then there is an opportunity coming up on November 27th. Check out their Facebook event page happening here in Edmonton.

This is what one of our staff contributed to this blog post:

As we approach Remembrance Day this November 11th, we must prepare to remember not only those lives lost to wars of the past but to honor those presently locked in conflict globally today.

Mainstream media is ignoring the civil war raging on unceded land in North Dakota between a systematically marginalized indigenous community and a seven-state security force acting on behalf of corporate interests. 

Reports on social media show people being brutalized, pulled out of sweat lodges while in ceremony, and attacked by dogs. Unlawful arrests made and strip searches carried out on water protectors. Cars searched and impounded, personal possessions taken, unarmed women and children pepper sprayed, shot with rubber bullets, and intimidated by militarized police.

“Standing Rock is part of an ongoing struggle against colonial violence. #NoDAPL is a front of struggle in a long-erased war against Native peoples — a war that has been active since first contact, and waged without interruption.”

Indigenous communities are united to protect clean drinking water for a population of 18 million American citizens but make no mistake, this is not just about preventing a pipeline from being built. This is a mobilization against colonialism and centuries of cultural genocide.

 

“When “climate justice”, in a very broad sense, becomes the center of conversation, our fronts of struggle are often reduced to a staging ground for the messaging of NGOs.” (http://www.yesmagazine.org/how-to-talk-about-standing-rock-20161028)

Yes, everyone should be talking about climate change, but we also need to acknowledging that this pipeline was redirected from an area where it was most likely to impact white people. 

The hours for our store will be 12:00 pm (noon) to 6 pm.