May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. As a country and as a college, May 5 provides an important opportunity to collectively acknowledge the higher rates of violence First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people face and question why this continues to happen.
May 5 is also known as Red Dress Day because of the 2011 REDress Project installation by Métis artist Jaime Black. She hung hundreds of red dresses to represent missing and murdered women in an exhibition at the University of Winnipeg that generated nationwide attention.
Canada’s Department of Justice states, “Violent attacks against Indigenous women and girls are not only more frequent than those against non-Indigenous women and girls, they are also more likely to be lethal.” Indigenous women and girls account for at least one-fifth to one-quarter of all female homicides in Canada, the department says.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls took place between 2016 and 2018. Nearly 3,000 people across Canada participated in the process, which included Knowledge Keepers, officials, families and survivors who provided testimony and people who shared experiences through artistic expression.
The inquiry’s final report, Reclaiming Power and Place, is available online.
“I encourage everyone in the George Brown College community to read this report to understand the factors that perpetuate violence against Indigenous women and girls and to learn about the impact of this ongoing violence through the words of survivors, victims’ families and others,” said Audrey Rochette, Director of Indigenous Initiatives at George Brown.
Indigenous Knowledge Keepers Series
Indigenous rights activist and former Olympian Waneek Horn-Miller shared her experiences with the George Brown College community for the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on October 4, 2022. Horn-Miller discussed her advocacy and resilience as a Mohawk woman as part of the Indigenous Knowledge Keepers Series, organized and hosted by the Indigenous Initiatives team.
Thumbnail image: Edna Winti - 2016/366/277 #REDress Project
