On February 6, CUPE members joined other activists to attend a vigil, forum and feast in support of Leonard Peltier, hosted by the Canadian Human Rights Committee for Justice and Freedom for Leonard Peltier (LPDCC) and the Indigenous Education Network of OISE/UT. Published with permission from the LPDCC, the following is an inspiring note of thanks sent to our members for their participation.
Subject: Thank you from Anne and Frank/LPDCC for CUPE’s outstanding support of the 2012 Vigil for Leonard Peltier
Thank you Don, Brian and Joanne for taking the time to come to the Vigil.
Thank you to all our CUPE Sisters and Brothers who also shared our prayers and commitment in this long struggle for justice.
We felt inspired by your dedication and solidarity in our fight for Leonard’s freedom, especially considering what ways we really can make a difference in Canada.
Thank you all for your inspiring words which we all felt so deeply.
Thank you to Fred Hahn for personally attending and sharing his wisdom and encouragement; powerful indeed, in his capacity as president!
Thank you also Brian and Joanne for your words of encouragement, of solidarity and of hope in our common humanity and connectedness with one another.
The solidarity expressed by your national president and NEB; your Ontario president and executive members, yourselves as diversity vice presidents and aboriginal directorship, and from your members: we can’t tell you how much we appreciate and thank you for CUPE’s support and overall sponsorship of the Vigil.
Indeed, we now look forward to taking this to other levels of discussion and exploration to examine ways we can contribute in this freedom struggle. It is now a matter of building on what we’ve shared together, to mobilize further within a plan of action.
We’ll wrap up this event with pictures and a report and send these to you as soon as we can catch our breath.
In Solidarity,
Frank and Anne Dreaver
LPDCC