Red Dress Day 2023
Student Project
RED DRESS DAY
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Red Dress Day on May 5th marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S) in Canada. The UBC School of Nursing (SON) and the SON Indigenous Cultural Safety Committee honour the lives of Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S people and remember those who are missing and murdered. As nurses, we walk in solidarity with their families, loved ones, and communities.
STATEMENT
As current and future health care leaders,
we call on Canadian society
to recognize the systemic disregard for Indigenous Peoples’ human rights
and to help stop colonialism’s violence, injustice, and atrocities.
On May 5th, and every day, we urge all nurses
to become involved, raise awareness, and join actions/movements
to build a just and more peaceful society,
particularly for those affected families whose lives have been altered forever.
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THE RED DRESS PROJECT
The REDress Project was created by Indigenous artist Jamie Black in 2010 to raise awareness to MMIWG and LGBTQ2S as an art installation project. On Feb 14th, 2023, the BSN Class of 2024 created their very own Red Dress Art Project to honour the 32nd Annual February 14th Women’s Memorial March held in Vancouver. This project, pictured here, illustrates the students’ commitment to understanding the colonial roots of the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against MMIWG2S, and their role as nurses to end violence and support healing. They created red dress ribbon skirts and added their words to support healing, compassion and action within and beyond the health care system.
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NATIONAL INQUIRY
It is estimated that 4,000 Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people have gone missing between 1980-2021. The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, released in 2019, concluded that the staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls amount to race-based genocide. The Final Report notes that gender-based violence includes not only women and girls but also LGBTQ2S (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered, queer, and two-spirited) people. At the First Nations House of Learning (FNHL), we continue to reflect on the voices, information, and lessons shared at a MMIWG conference hosted shortly after the issuance of the Final Report.
Also worth noting is that one of the three underlying documents shaping UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan is the National Inquiry’s MMIWG Final Report, with its 231 Calls to Justice. The other two are the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
We invite you to consider how you will participate in this important day and have provided resources and suggestions below:
- Read the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Reclaiming Power and Place: Executive Summary of the Final Report
- Explore the many resources available through UBC Library: Libguide: Red Dress Day
- Read this article by Dr. Margaret Moss, Professor, UBC School of Nursing, and Director, First Nations House of Learning.
Consider marking the day by:
- Wearing red
- Hanging a red dress in your window or yard
- Posting images of wearing red or your red dress display on social media with the hashtags #MMIWG, #MMIWG2S, #RedDressDay, #WhyWeWearRed and #NoMoreStolenSisters
- MMIWG2s+ Support Line 1-844-413-6649
An independent, national, toll-free support call line available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- BC Crisis Centre: https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/
- UBC Student Health & Wellbeing: https://students.ubc.ca/health
- UBC Faculty & Staff Health & Wellbeing: https://wellbeing.ubc.ca/workplace-wellbeing-resources
Submitted by Helen Brown, Margaret Moss and Elisabeth Bailey.