May 5 is Red Dress Day

Red Dress Day, or the Red Dress Campaign, is an annual event to recognize and honour the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) in North America. It started with The REDress Project by Métis artist Jaime Black. The event was originally held on May 5 2010, and continues annually. Red Dress Day is one of several campaigns started by activists to call attention to the disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women, and it is sometimes held on other dates throughout the year to coincide with other days of action.

On Thursday May 5, 2022, students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in Red Dress Day by wearing red, learning about MMIWG, and visiting the QEII lobby where red dresses will hang.

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This day is an opportunity for us all to reflect on the historic and current injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples and to learn about what we can do to respond to the Calls to Justice that resulted from the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Resources:

• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Government of Canada - Supporting Families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Jaime Black - The REDress Project
• Assembly of First Nations - MMIWG: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Ending Violence
• University of British Columbia, Indigenous Foundations - About the REDress Project
• Vogue Magazine - How Red Dresses Became a Symbol for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
• American Indian Magazine - A Place of the Taken: The REDress Project Gives a Voice to Missing Indigenous Women