Red Dresses Honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People

Written by Mary Ann Lyons, Indigenous Student Advisor and part-time faculty 

Red Dress Day, or the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People, is observed on May 5th. The day honours the thousands of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people who have been subject to disproportionate violence in Canada and brings awareness to this ongoing human rights crisis. 

Red Dress Day was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black’s 2010 REDress Project installation, in which she hung red dresses to represent missing and murdered women. While Indigenous women account for less than 5 per cent of the Canadian population, they make up 24 per cent of female homicide victims. 

Red dresses are on display in the Indigenous Centre on all SLC campuses. Learn more:

• May 5 is National Day of Awareness & Action for MMIWG2S
• The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Native Justice Coalition - MMIWG2S Program