York U hosts National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women ceremony, Dec. 3

York University will host a ceremony to recognize the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Monday, Dec. 3. The ceremony commemorates the lives of 14 young women who died at École Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. They were killed because they were women in an engineering school.

The ceremony takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the First Floor Café in the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence. A light lunch will be provided.

As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, this day represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQ2+, people with disabilities and others who are marginalized in society.

This pan-University ceremony is a collaborative initiative between President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton, the Lassonde School of Engineering, the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion, the Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education, and the Community Safety Department.

To mark the anniversary, the Lassonde School of Engineering installed a modular mural commissioned by the York Federation of Students. Fourteen pieces of art constitute the mural, one for each victim. With it, the University community commemorates the women lost, honours women in the fields of engineering, science and human rights and celebrates the achievement, empowerment and resilience of women. The artwork is on permanent display on the second floor of the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence.

In 2015, the Lassonde School launched the $1.5-million 50:50 Challenge, to achieve gender parity and a culture of inclusivity in engineering and science.

To assist with planning, organizers request that those community members interested in attending this event submit an RSVP. Click here for the online RSVP form.