Sophie Merasty

Sophie Merasty is remembered as a fierce activist who fought for justice, and as an artist who was able to communicate the experiences of Indigenous women over a nearly four-decade-long career in acting.

​​​​​​Merasty later attended the 25th Street Theatre School in Saskatoon and began acting professionally in 1983. In 2007, Merasty was nominated for a Leo Award for best supporting actress for her role in The Unnatural and Accidental Women.

Her recent work included SRO in 2019, and a cross-Canada tour with Morriseau for a play called Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way in 2018. She also appeared in Pawâkan Macbeth, a reimagining of Macbeth using “Cree history, legend and cosmology,” by playwright Reneltta Arluk.

​​​​​​Merasty testified at the National Inquiry for Murdered and Missing Women and Girls and travelled with (Harsha) Walia to present the recommendations of the Red Women Rising report to provincial and municipal governments and to agencies like BC Housing.

Adapted from The Tyee, 2020