Women Speak Thunder

10/15/2026

For Women’s History Month, Women Speak Thunder recognizes Hide Hyodo Shimizu (1908 – 1999), a Japanese-Canadian educator and activist who fought for equality and justice. One of the first Japanese-Canadians to earn a teaching certificate, she spoke to Parliament in 1936 to demand voting rights for Asian Canadians. During the Second World War, when Japanese-Canadians were forcibly interned and stripped of their rights and belongings, she recruited 120 teachers to establish schools for 3,000 children in internment camps across B.C. She later fought for reparations for Japanese-Canadians who lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods. Honoured with the Order of Canada, Shimizu left a lasting legacy of courage, advocacy and dedication to education and human rights.



Image and information source: WAGE

10/14/2026

October is Women’s History Month in Canada!

Women’s History Month was established in Canada in 1992 to recognize women’s contributions to our history, many of which were overlooked or left out of the history books.

October also includes Persons Day on October 18, marking the 1929 Persons Case, when five Canadian women challenged the exclusion of women from the legal definition of “persons” under Canadian constitutional law.

This month is a chance to learn about the women who fought for our rights, challenged discrimination, cared for their communities, and helped shape the Canada we live in today. It’s also a reminder that women’s history includes struggles that continue today.

Women’s history is Canadian history. Let’s make sure it’s remembered.



Information source: WAGE
Image source: "The Famous Five...Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby. Image courtesy of Farm and Ranch Review, January 2, 1930". Retrieved from https://buff.ly/OgTHxc9

10/05/2026

Trisha Baptie believes that one sexually exploited woman is one too...

09/29/2026

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation recognizes the lasting impact of residential schools on Indigenous people, families, and communities. For Indigenous women and girls, this history also includes the cumulative effects of violence and abuse perpetrated by men within and around residential schools. Remembering this history means recognizing not only the harms experienced as children, but how violence against girls can continue to affect women, families, and communities across generations. The day was established in response to Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and became a federal statutory holiday that honours the children who never came home from residential schools.

09/28/2026

As we approach September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are mindful of the cumulative effects of trauma, colonization, and male-perpetrated violence against Indigenous women.

We remember the Indigenous women and girls who are missing or have been murdered, and the families and communities who continue to live with the impacts of this violence.

For Indigenous women, this time can bring grief, anger, and difficult memories. Please engage with care. Step away when you need to, listen to your needs, and pay attention to signs of overwhelm or burnout.

Support is available:

📞 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line: 1-844-413-6649
Available 24/7 across Canada for people impacted by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Support can include emotional support, counselling, referrals and culturally specific supports.

📞 Talk4Healing: 1-855-554-4325
A 24/7, culturally grounded helpline specifically for Indigenous women in Ontario. Call or text for support, safety planning, counselling and referrals. Services are available in multiple languages, with online chat also available.

📞 Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310
Available 24/7 across Canada for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people seeking emotional support, crisis intervention or referrals to community-based services. Support is available in English and French and, upon request, in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.

📞 9-8-8 Su***de Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988
Available 24/7 across Canada if you are experiencing a suicide-related crisis or need immediate emotional support.

You do not have to push through difficult moments alone. Take care of yourself and each other.

09/28/2026

Our Last Sister Circle

As WMST becomes more regionally focused, some things are shifting and changing, but we’re not going anywhere! We’ll still be here to connect, gather, invite you to events, and create more opportunities for women to come together in the months ahead.

Sister Circle has been a really special space for many of us, a place to meet other women, share our experiences, have conversations, laugh, learn, and simply spend time together.

We hope you’ll continue creating your own women-only spaces, both virtually and in person, and invite other women to join you. Community happens when we make space for each other.

For our final Sister Circle, grab a tea (or your favourite non-alcoholic drink!), bring a snack, and come spend some time with us. We’ll reminisce about Sister Circle, share some memories, and celebrate the connections we’ve made along the way.

We’d love to see you there. 💜

www.wmstonline.com

09/24/2026

Credit: Human Trafficking Awareness - No Traffick Zone

09/19/2026

Have you attended a Sapphic Circle before?
The next virtual meet up is this Sunday September 20th. 💜

Sapphic Circle is a space for le****ns to come together for thoughtful discussions on a variety of topics. We seek to build le***an community through engaging in le***an ideas, politics, media, and more!

Sapphic Circle meets the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month at 12pm PDT/3pm EDT/7pm UTC.

To join or learn more visit:

Women Speak Thunder (WMST), is an Indigenous woman-led feminist non-profit organization that works to end male violence against women and girls by redefining colonization as a fundamentally sex-based practice, meaning male entitlement and female obligation are named and challenged.

09/10/2026

Feminist Social next Tuesday 🍵

Please join us for a virtual social hour. Whether you are a long time member or brand new to Sister Circle, we invite you to show up with your tea (or any non-alcoholic beverage) and a snack to check-in, share, listen and connect in this less structured circle.

www.wmstonline.com

09/09/2026

What does community for older le****ns look like as they age and their friends and family starting passing away? What does the world look like for a le***an who came out decades ago as opposed to more recently?

Thank you to those who attended our Sapphic Circle on Sunday September 6th on Aging Le****ns In Community.

To participate in future circles visit: www.wmstonline.com