Bridget Tolley (born 1960) is a Canada-based

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

community worker, activist for

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is an epidemic of violence against Indigenous women in Canada, the United States, and Latin America; notably those in the FNIM ( First Nations, Inuit, Métis) and Native American communities. Acro ...

(MMIW), and the founder of the grassroots activist and support organization, Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS).

Early life and biography

Tolley was born in 1960 at

Maniwaki Maniwaki is a town located north of Gatineau and north-west of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, Canada. The town is situated on the Gatineau River, at the crossroads of Route 105 and Route 107, not far south of Route 117 (Trans-Canada Highwa ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, to Gladys and John Tolley. She is an Algonquin grandmother and long-time activist. Her father committed suicide when she was 11 years old.

Activism

Bridget Tolley's mother, Gladys Tolley, was struck and killed by a

Sûreté du Québec The (SQ; , ) is the provincial police service for the Canadian province of Quebec. No official English name exists, but the agency's name is sometimes translated to 'Quebec Provincial Police' or QPP in English-language sources. The headquarter ...

(Quebec Provincial Police) cruiser near Maniwaki, Quebec, on the night of October 5, 2001. A year after her mother's death, Tolley discovered that the police had terminated the investigation into her mother’s death without informing her. Tolley began investigating her mother's death herself, and in the process became an activist for

. Tolley is the founder of the MMIW organization, Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS). She is also a founding member of Justice for Victims of Police Killings and is involved with the

Native Women's Association of Canada The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC; french: Association des femmes autochthones du Canada, nolink=yes FAC is a national Indigenous organization representing the political voice of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people in ...

Sisters in Spirit Vigils. Tolley is active in other social issues such as child welfare, police violence,

Indigenous education Indigenous education specifically focuses on teaching Indigenous knowledge, models, methods, and content within formal or non-formal educational systems. The growing recognition and use of Indigenous education methods can be a response to the er ...

and housing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolley, Bridget 1960 births Living people Canadian women activists Canadian activists Algonquin people People from Maniwaki Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement