The family and community of Cassidy Bernard came together in We’koqma’q First Nation on Sunday.
They joined together for a feast to celebrate the life of the young mother who was found dead in her home in 2018.
“We’re going to keep on going for all the souls missing and murdered,” said Annie Bernard-Daisley, Cassidy’s cousin.
Bernard’s family organized the event in part to thank the community for supporting the Fight for Justice.
“Every day we got words of encouragement words of praise and words of love from everybody and it’s our way to show and tell them thank you,” said Bernard’s cousin.
Over the past year community members held rallies, vigils and hung red dresses everywhere.
Cassidy Bernard’s mother Mona has been at the forefront.
”Cassidy wasn’t supposed to die, you know and that’s mostly why everybody in this community knows Cassidy wasn’t supposed to die,” she said.
“So the love and the support that has come from that just builds us up even more you know and like we’re just happy.”
(Cassidy Bernard. Facebook photo)
Cassidy Bernard was found in her home on Oct. 28, 2018 with her infant twin daughters at her side.
The two girls are now cared for by Mona and the Bernard family.
Last week the RCMP charged Cassidy’s ex-boyfriend and father of her children.
Dwight Austin Isadore, 20, of Wagmatcook was charged with second degree murder and two counts of abandoning a child.
For Cassidy’s family, it was a step towards justice.
“We’re going to have to go through this trial it’s going to be hard because we are going to hear stuff that we don’t want to hear,” said Cassidy’s mother. “But we are going to hear it and I have asked my children if they want to go we have to be we have to listen we can’t have no outburst.”
The family is planning to start a program to prevent domestic abuse start with the young people in We’koqma’q.
“What we think can help our young ladies and our young men in the future we have to discuss and really be open about domestic violence about violence against women,” said Annie Bernard-Daisley.
One person already talking about Cassidy Bernard is Emma Stevens.
The 17 year old said she didn’t know Cassidy but felt inspired to take action.
“I’ve been keeping up with this story ever since it happened and I felt so bad for those little girls like that,” said Stevens. “Hearing that kind of stuff doesn’t matter if you didn’t know them or if you did know them, that’s painful.”
Stevens, a singer, wears a red dress at every event she performs at to support the Red Dress Movement.
Last year she recorded the Beatles song Blackbird in Mi’kmaq that went viral.
The Bernard family gifted Stevens with ornaments, three red dresses to represent Cassidy and her daughters.
“I think I’m going to keep the red dress movement in my heart and try to help as many people as possible because it’s a very important movement and if we don’t talk about it, no one will,” she said.
The Bernard family said it will continue to fight for justice for Cassidy.
Isadore is in custody and due back in court on Dec. 16.
