Decemeber 6th Ceremonies

I've been giving some thought to the events that took place 20 years ago. The Montreal Massacre at l'Ecole Polytechnique one of the most graphic and prolific moments for a generation.

I had a problem at first grasping the gravity of what really took place, you see my generation unfortunately has grown up with similar situations. Columbine massacre, Dawson College shooting, and of course 9/11 all have created a seriously desensitized generation.

I have never read the letters of that young man that decided to open fire upon all women in an act of rage (I choose not to name him, as he is not the one we should be remembering). Nor had I done the research prior the evenings events to fully grasp what had happened that one December night.

But there are things that can change, in fact like many others have made a commitment to be part of the solution. Signing onto the Kingston White Ribbon Campaign, as well as getting my picture taken as a male willing to stand up against violence against women. These are things that we all can do, in our own communities.

On a closing note, I would like to put the names up of those 14 women that were killed on that night as a way to continue remembering:

* Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968), civil engineering student
* Hélène Colgan (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
* Nathalie Croteau (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
* Barbara Daigneault (born 1967), mechanical engineering student
* Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968), chemical engineering student
* Maud Haviernick (born 1960), materials engineering student
* Maryse Laganière (born 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department
* Maryse Leclair (born 1966), materials engineering student
* Anne-Marie Lemay (born 1967), mechanical engineering student
* Sonia Pelletier (born 1961), mechanical engineering student
* Michèle Richard (born 1968), materials engineering student
* Annie St-Arneault (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
* Annie Turcotte (born 1969), materials engineering student
* Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (born 1958), nursing student