REDress Day
May 5th is REDress Day, a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
About the REDress Project:
The REDress Project focuses around the issue of missing or murdered Aboriginal women across Canada. It is an installation art project based on an aesthetic response to this critical national issue. The project has been installed in public spaces throughout Canada and the United States as a visual reminder of the staggering number of women who are no longer with us. Through the installation I hope to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Aboriginal women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence.
- Jaime Black
Retrieved from: https://www.jaimeblackartist.com/exhibitions/
Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls:
A Human Rights Crisis:
If you are an Indigenous woman or girl in Canada—whether you live on reserve or in an urban area, regardless of your age or socio-economic status—the simple fact that you are an Indigenous woman or girl means that you are at least 3 times more likely to experience violence, and at least 6 times more likely to be murdered than any other woman or girl in Canada. This violence is a national human rights crisis and it must stop.
Why are the rates of violence so high?
Racist and sexist stereotypes lead perpetrators to believe that they can get away with committing acts of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
The many legacies of colonialism increase the risk of experiencing violence—from impoverishment to the lasting harm from residential schools to the disempowerment of Indigenous women and girls in their own communities.
Decades of government and law enforcement inaction to end the violence.
Retrieved from: https://www.amnesty.ca/what-we-do/no-more-stolen-sisters/
What can you do to get involved?
Wear red on May 5th to spread awareness and honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Attend the Iniikokaan Centre's May 5th event: A talk by Elder Ruth Scalplock on supporting Indigenous women. This event will be hosted at 11:00am in the Iniikokaan Centre on the 2nd floor of South Campus.
Attend the Moose Hide Campaign screening in Iniikokaan on May 12th starting at 9:30am. The screening will play from 9:30-10:45am and will be followed by a discussion about addressing violence against women and Indigenous masculinities. If you are unable to attend in person, the Iniikokaan Centre encourages you to participate in the livestream on your own.
Read The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls from the link below.
Resources:
About the REDress Project:
The Moose Hide Campaign: https://moosehidecampaign.ca/
The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/