May 5th marks Red Dress Day.
The day raises awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit+ people in Canada and was inspired by Métis artist Jamie Black’s installation project, which saw red dresses hung in public spaces throughout Canada and the United States as visual reminders of the number of Indigenous women who have been killed or are missing.
The movement has grown, with local communities hosting walks, events and educational gatherings.
MLA for Saskatoon Centre Betti Nippi-Albright said the day serves as a constant reminder of those who are still missing.
“Red Dress Day is a reminder of the deep pain and trauma Indigenous communities have endured and continue to endure when those we love have been taken from us. It means remembering and honouring our loved ones that have not made it home yet and standing with my relatives and the communities that have been affected.”
She said it’s also a reminder of the ongoing issues surrounding ongoing issues with gender-based violence, especially against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit individuals.
“We must take a stand for the rights of Indigenous people while underscoring the importance of equality and justice. It’s also a reminder that we as a society must recognize and address the disproportionate violence and discrimination faced by Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people as a result of colonialism, racism, and patriarchy.”
Nippi-Albright added that people must commit to taking meaningful action to address the systemic violence and injustice faced by Indigenous people and that we have to listen to and center the voices and experiences of Indigenous communities in our efforts to create that meaningful change.
Indigenous artist Teagan Littlecheif said Red Dress Day means a chance to highlight the struggles indigenous women face, specifically around violence.
“It raises awareness about the disproportionate violence faced by Indigenous women,” she said. “It honours their lives and advocates for justice.”
Indigenous women and girls in Canada remain highly overrepresented as victims of violence. Between 2009 and 2021, the homicide rate among Indigenous women and girls was six times higher than their non-Indigenous counterparts, Statistics Canada said in a report last year.
Kim Coltman, organizer of the two-day Revolutions Red Dress Fashion Festival in Kamloops, says the eight designers taking part in the festival have created items to honour Red Dress Day.
“For the majority of them, they have been touched by this issue personally,” Coltman says.
Coltman’s mother was a residential school survivor from Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.
Coltman also describes herself as survivor. Her childhood was marred by stays in foster care. She was abducted and assaulted as a teen. She says she knows all too well the world that Indigenous women can live in.
It was fashion that empowered Coltman. She signed with a modelling agency in 1972 and later created her own.
But the issue of violence toward Indigenous women and girls remained close to her heart.
When she saw the red dress movement, Coltman says she was inspired, and in 2015 she founded Fashion Speaks International. The organization has produced fashion shows in Canada, Australia and France highlighting Indigenous designers, models and artists. Each show also brings attention to missing women through stories and photos.
Coltman says it’s powerful watching Indigenous models hold their heads high as they walk the runway. It breaks behaviours pushed on the estimated 150,000 Indigenous children who were forced to attend residential schools, she says.
“The residential school taught them that they were to be seen not heard, and they were to look at their feet when they walk,” she says. “We need to make our people less invisible.”
Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte has been on the front lines working to end violence against Indigenous women in Saskatchewan for nearly two decades.
As co-chair of Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik (Women Walking Together), she has supported many families of those who have disappeared.
Okemaysim-Sicotte says red is a colour ancestors can see, so it’s powerful to see red garments placed in public spaces across the country.
But, Okemaysim-Sicotte adds, it’s important people look beyond the dresses to the women they represent.
“We are doing this because of the missing people, and they shouldn’t be forgotten,” she says.
“They need to be remembered.”
A support line is available for those impacted by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit+ people. For immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649.
With files from The Canadian Press