Isaac Currie remembers his aunt as a “beautiful, talented and amazing” person.
Logan Alexandra Russell, a 32-year-old dance teacher from North Sydney, was killed this past November. Her partner is charged with second-degree murder.
Russell’s nephew says she lived a hard life and struggled with mental health but continued to love.
“It’s only later in life that you really realize how invisible someone’s pain can be and how that vulnerability can be exploited if we’re not all paying attention,” Currie told CBC’s Mainstreet Cape Breton.
Now, the Elizabeth Fry Society is starting a new fund in Russell’s honour in partnership with her family.
“We are seeing a massive increase in women whose lives are being taken by intimate partners,” said Emma Halpern, the executive director of the society’s mainland Nova Scotia branch.
“When you meet family members like Isaac … you really see the humanity and the absolute impact of this beyond numbers and statistics.”
The society plans to use the fund for educational panel events that will highlight signs of abuse, how to navigate the legal system and the root causes of gender-based violence.
Currie described his aunt as an outspoken person who always advocated for people who needed help and said she would be “ecstatic” about the new fund dedicated to her memory.
In getting to know the family, Halpern said she thinks Russell would be supportive.
“Logan would’ve wanted to see change and would fight for women like her. Logan did fight for women like her,” said Halpern.
She said reliance on the criminal justice system will not solve gender-based violence in Nova Scotia but providing education and community discussion through this fund can help with a broader discussion on how to tackle the issue.
Currie said it’s crucial that people talk about gender-based violence as an epidemic that also requires a large and preventive response.
“I think it’s really important that we continue to fight for that and other families aren’t victimized like ours was.”
But for Currie and Halpern, much more needs to be done to address and end gender-based violence and the root causes.
Currie said more programs are needed to help men deal with anger issues before they hurt others.
“If they can identify factors in themselves, they can reach out and get the help they need so that this toxic masculinity doesn’t manifest itself in a violent way like we see with what happened with Logan,” said Currie.
Halpern said addressing the shame and stigma that women endure when they experience gender-based violence is also an underlying issue.
“We have to really talk about that and undo that bias against survivors,” said Halpern.
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