Father's Day walk honours missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys

Verna Spence says her brother wasn't who people thought he was.

Andy McKay, who was just 17 when he was killed in Winnipeg nearly two years ago, was a traditional singer, performing in powwows across the city.

"He performed everywhere in the community," said Spence, but rumours about McKay being in a gang spread after his death.

Spence was one of about 100 people who joined a Father's Day walk Sunday afternoon to raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys and honour those who have been lost.

"I just want to keep his memory alive," Spence said.

Isabel Daniels, who has been advocating in her community for about 15 years, said there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding murdered and missing Indigenous men and boys and that needs to change.

"A lot of people think that our men are victims of their own demise," she said.

"We have to start showing that other side of our men and humanizing them to society."

Families who have lost men or boys, not just women, also need more support, Daniels said.

"We have a lot of support for MMIW community, but sadly, we don't have anything for our murdered and missing Indigenous men and boys — those family members, those mothers, those children that have lost their fathers."

Matthew Davidson attended the walk with his son.

"I do them to be able to honour the people that we've lost, and to be able to speak their names so they're not forgotten," said Davidson, a co-founder and action therapist at Spirit Horse Initiative.

"There's sons out there that have lost their lives that aren't able to become fathers."

The walked started at Thunderbird House at 4 p.m. Sunday and ended at Oodena Circle at The Forks.