Lieut. Brian Bobolo, from the Salvation Army, spoke about how having strong women in his life had influenced him and have inspired hope in him.
He also spoke about the impact that the massacre of 14 women at the École Polytechnique had on his life, during his keynote speech during a memorial vigil on Saturday.
The memorial vigil was held by Envision Counselling and Support Centre on Saturday, exactly 25 years since the 14 women were killed. The vigil was held to honour the women who lost their lives that day, and also to take action to support women and children who are affected by violence each day.
“This day weighs upon me each year,” said Lieut. Bobolo. “I was deeply impacted by the events that took place in Montreal, and on every Dec. 6 since that day, I have struggled. It is a time of personal reflection, personal warning and personal thought each and every year.”
As an officer of the Salvation Army, Lieut. Bobolo provides social services to the communities of Estevan and Weyburn. It is also his job to inspire hope and promote the dignity of all individuals. In his career he encounters situations where women are oppressed, limited, objectified, marginalized and demeaned. “Every time I hear a story like this, a piece of me dies.”
One thing that continues to bring him hope and inspiration is the memory of all the strong women that played a role in his life. “They knew how to fight for what was right, and they never let anyone dismiss their opinion or ignore their viewpoints.”
It was those women who were inviting others over, and opening their home to those who needed a meal, or a place to stay. Something that he didn’t realize until he was older, was that often his home was offered to women fleeing a violent situation in their own homes.
It was because of the strong women in his life, that his life seemed perfect. Until Dec. 6, 1989, when the Montreal massacre occurred. He remembers clearly where he was on that day. He also remembers the emotions and feelings that fell over him because of the incident. “I tried to understand why someone could hate half of the world’s population. Who could possibly hate intelligent women? Who could hate strong-willed, determined women who wanted to be the authors of their own lives?”
Following his own path, Lieut. Bobolo started to fight for the marginalized in his communities. Along the way, he met with other people, and other inspiring women, who also wanted to fight for those who were marginalized, and given them a voice. “I felt that the 14 women in Montreal had died for me, and for my cousins and my aunts.”
Even with his work in the community, and through the Salvation Army, Lieut. Bobolo noted that he is still healing. He also aspires for hope for the future generations.
“It continues to be a battle to end violence against women and children,” said Lieut. Bobolo. He noted that women are over-represented in the numbers of those living in poverty. Also, half of those women are dealing with a abusive situation in their home.
“There are many things of which I do not know about … but there is one thing that I do know, and that is that this violence is not okay with me. It disturbs me, it offends me and it steals my good memories like a thief in the night,” said Lieut. Bobolo.
“If we can not all stand tall and declare that all humanity has value, then what are we saying about ourselves,” he said, and he encouraged all others to stand tall, and have hope for the future.
