You may notice red dresses hanging from the trees across the campus. These dresses are there to bring awareness to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) across Canada.
Sunday, May 5, is the National Day of Awareness for MMIWG. The REDress Project was founded by Jamie Black, a Métis artist. These dresses are displayed in public spaces to bring awareness of those Indigenous women and children who are missing.
TRU Indigenous Education is holding a special event on Friday, May 3, at the TRU Art Gallery in Old Main (next to Starbucks). From noon to 1 p.m., there will be special guest speakers including Tkwenem7iple7 (Councillor) Nikki Fraser, Laura Grizzlypaws and Gena Edwards, a jingle dress dance performance and art displays by Indigenous artists to honour the MMIWG2S+.
Light refreshments will be served.
Red is used because red is the only colour spirits can see, it is a sacred and powerful colour. The empty red dresses remind us about the violence and crimes Indigenous women and girls face. The dresses represent the thousands of Indigenous women who have gone missing.
