What is Red Dress Day?
Red Dress Day is an initiative which honours missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit. It was first inspired by Jaime Black, a Metis artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Black hung vibrant red dresses in public places to represent the missing indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people in hopes to bring awareness to this issue. What originally began as a small project has grown tenfold since it was first commemorated in 2010, registering May 5th as a national day of awareness and action for the missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit.
An interview done with Jaime Black by Samantha Edwards from the Toronto Life newspaper highlights the inspiration and impact that her project has created. When asked why the colour red was chosen for the dresses specifically, Black replied “Red is a really powerful colour in indigenous communities. It’s the colour of life and blood. It’s what connects all of us to each other. It’s a very sacred colour, and it also represents the violence that these women are facing.” (1) The vibrant shade of red has become nationally associated with the missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit, with students and adults across the world encouraged to wear red on May 5th.
When Edwards asked Black about what she hopes the project achieves, Black responded “Hopefully, a family that’s missing a loved one can feel supported, and maybe have a place to mourn. It gives material presence to something otherwise is absent except for in their own hearts. Because the red dress is such a striking image, it stays in the back of people’s mind.” (2) As Black explained, the striking image of a red dress hanging in a public area creates questions for the public. The project grows in publicity and awareness as people ask questions and learn the answers for why the red dresses are there, which creates a larger impact and larger publicity for the initiative.
Why is Red Dress Day important?
The day pays respect and brings awareness to the thousands of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people all across Canada. A study created by Statistics Canada in 2020 explained that the murder rate for that year was more than five times higher for indigenous women compared to non-indigenous women. This violence stems from Canada’s racist and colonial history and it is up to Canadians to learn and educate themselves so that indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people do not continue to suffer.
What did I do to show my support for Red Dress Day?
For Red Dress Day, I chose to bear witness. I wore a red “ask me” pin so that anyone interested in why the red dresses were hanging around the school could talk to me and learn the answers. I talked to five people who did not know what Red Dress Day was and I enlightened them with the research that I took days prior to May 5th. It is important to share the information I know to other people so that they may pass the information on.
In conclusion, Red Dress Day continues to serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people in Canada. Red Dress Day honours the lives that have been lost, raises awareness about the issue, and demands action from governments and communities. By wearing red and continuing to learn from indigenous communities, we can all show support for indigenous communities and contribute to the fight for justice and equality. While Canada is complex and deeply rooted in systemic racism and its colonial past, Red Dress Day serves as a constant reminder that each and every one of us have a role to play in making a safer society for all Canadians.
Citations:
Edwards, S. (2017, March 24). Q&A: Jaime Black, the artist hanging red dresses around U of T Campus. Toronto Life. https://torontolife.com/culture/qa-jaime-black-artist-hanging-red-dresses-around-u-t-campus/