London Abused Women's Centre hosts annual International Women's Day Breakfast

Screen grab from International Women's Day Breakfast in London, Ont. on March 4, 2022.

Colonization has been traditionally looked at through a patriarchal lens, and because of that, it has affected women in profound ways.

That was the topic of discussion by Cherry Smiley at the International Women’s Day Breakfast, hosted virtually by the London Abused Women’s Centre Friday.

Smiley is an artist and feminist activist from the Nlaka'pamux (Thompson) and Diné (Navajo) Nations.

She discussed how the Russian invasion of Ukraine is being framed with a patriarchal view of colonialism.

“We can think about this war in Ukraine and all other wars and conflicts as being about entitlement, men’s entitlement,” said Smiley.

“Saying ‘I want this, so I’m going to go in and take it.’ And so in that sense we can see how our lives as women are connected globally. Indigenous women here in Canada, women in Ukraine, women in Afghanistan, women all over the world.”

Organizers of this year’s event hoped to raise $50,000 “towards supporting abused and exploited women and girls in our community.”