Red Dress Day facts for kids
Red Dress Day, also known as the Red Dress Campaign, is an important yearly event in Canada. It is organized by the REDress Project to remember and honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). This special day first took place on May 5, 2010, and has continued every year since. Sometimes, it is held on other dates to match other important events, like National Indigenous Peoples Day. Red Dress Day is one of many efforts by activists to bring attention to the unfairly high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
Why We Have Red Dress Day
Red Dress Day was inspired by the work of Métis artist Jaime Black. Her art project, called the REDress Project, helps people think about the many Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. In 2010, Jaime Black showed an art display at the University of Winnipeg. It featured many empty red dresses. These dresses were a powerful symbol to honor and remember Indigenous women whose lives were lost due to violence.
On Red Dress Day, people are encouraged to hang empty red dresses in public places. They can also wear red dresses themselves. This shows their support for the lives of MMIWG. Other activities on this day include marches, memorials, and walks across Canada. You might also see red dress displays in museums, university campuses, and other exhibits. The idea for this day grew from another art project called Walking With Our Sisters – K’omoks, which also honored Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
May 5th is a special date because it is the birthday of Lisa Marie Young. She was a 21-year-old Tla-o-qui-aht woman who disappeared in 2002. Her case remains unsolved.
In 2016, the Red Dress Awareness Campaign and Installation became much more widely known. It gained a lot of public attention across Canada and the United States. While the REDress Project did not directly ask for a national investigation into MMIWG, many people who support Red Dress Day believe such an investigation is very important. They use the event to encourage the Canadian government to take action.
Red Dress Day Across Canada
Alberta
In Calgary, Alberta, staff from the Awo Taan Native Healing Lodge organized a Red Dress Day event. This lodge is a shelter for Indigenous women and children. On November 19, 2019, they held an event at the Calgary’s Central Library. People who attended learned more about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. They also made small felt dolls wearing red dresses, inspired by the original art project.
Ontario
Students at Cardinal Leger Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, honored MMIWG on May 3, 2017. This event was inspired by Red Dress Day. The students wrote names from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls list on about 1,200 red feathers. They then placed these feathers in trees near the school.
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