Red Dress Day (May 5)
Please note: The following information addresses topics that may be distressing to some readers. For immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. This is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis line providing emotional support to anyone requiring assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada.
Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ People, is honoured and observed annually on May 5.
It was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black’s REDress Project, which began in 2010. The project involved hanging red dresses in public spaces to symbolize the lives of the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people and raise awareness of the ongoing and disproportionate rates of violence they experience in Canada. These displays have become powerful symbols of loss, remembrance and the need for action.
Final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was established in 2016 to examine the systemic causes of violence experienced by them and their greater vulnerability to violence. The National Inquiry’s Final Report was released in 2019, which included calls for transformative legal and social changes aimed at addressing the systemic causes of this ongoing crisis. In response to the Final Report, the National Action Plan was released in 2021, outlining a path toward ending systemic racism and violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
Resources
Learn more about Red Dress Day through these resources:
- The REDress Project – Jaime Black
- Government of Canada: MMIWG2S+
- MMIWG Final Report
- MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan
- Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls - Assembly of First Nations
Download a Red Dress template that you can print, cut out, colour and display in your window.