Red Dress Day – observed on May 5th – is also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People. This day was first commemorated in 2010 in response to Jaime Black’s REDress Project. May 5th is for honouring and raising awareness of the thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who have been disproportionately subjected to gendered and racialized violence in Canada.
In Thunder Bay, consider joining the ONWA at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery for the opening of Witness in Red, a community art installation grounded in truth, remembrance, and collective responsibility. This exhibit opens May 5th, with a reception hosted from 12-2pm in the Community Room; this exhibit brings together community voices through powerful artwork reflecting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls & 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, as well as the broader impacts of gender-based violence.
Take some time to explore Safe Passage, a website created by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) dedicated to ending the ongoing MMIWG2S+ genocide and ensuring the continued safety of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This community-driven, trauma-informed, and survivor centered initiative tracks cases of MMIWG2S+, provides resources and public education about the MMIWG2S+ genocide, and commemorates and honours stolen loved ones.
Banner Photo: Jaime Black, #REDressProject, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Comments are closed