Red Dress Day: May 5th
National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S)
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Red Dress Day honours the memories of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBQQIA peoples across Canada. Métis artist, Jamie Black, helped inspire the Red Dress movement where dresses are hung from windows and trees to recognize the pain and loss that loved ones, victims and survivors experience.
The empty red dresses are meant to create a visual representation of the missing people who should be wearing them. The colour red was chosen because it represents the lifeblood and connection between all people, and carries significance for many Indigenous cultures. According to lore, red is the only colour spirits can see. The red dresses aid in calling the spirits of the missing and murdered back to their loved ones.
Learn More
KAIROS Blanket Exercise
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise was developed by the Aboriginal Rights Coalition with Indigenous elders and educators and is an experiential learning tool to narrate the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in a Canadian context. "The KBE centers the stories of Indigenous Peoples to teach what most Canadians are never taught – Indigenous history, legacy and traditions, and the struggles, harm and injustices arising from colonization."
https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org
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(If you are affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people and need immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. You can also access long-term health support services such as mental health counselling, community-based emotional support and cultural services and some travel costs to see Elders and traditional healers. Family members seeking information about their missing or murdered loved one can access Family Information Liaison Units.)