Many groups in Dawson Creek are marking the 16th annual Red Dress Day on Tuesday, May 5, to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people.
The day is also a call to action, with advocates urging more to be done to improve safety and support Indigenous communities.
Residents are invited to participate in a remembrance walk organized by the Nawican Friendship Centre. It begins at 4 p.m. at the Traffic Circle and will end at the Nawican Bergeron Youth & Cultural Centre, where a community barbecue will take place.
Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober said on social media that Red Dress Day is a powerful reminder of the lives lost, the families impacted and the ongoing need for awareness, justice and meaningful change. “We stand in solidarity, reflection and commitment to a safer future for all,” he said.
The South Peace Community Resources Society says the colour red is deeply symbolic. “It is said to be a colour spirits can see, calling them home and reminding us that they are not forgotten,” it said. “Red also represents strength, resilience and the ongoing call for justice and accountability.”
Peace River Regional District Chair Brad Sperling said in a statement he recognizes the systemic issues impacting Peace Region communities. “Colonization, residential schools and the Sixties Scoop have created historical trauma and socio-economic conditions that disproportionately impact Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people,” he said.
Sperling said the day is a reminder for communities to work together toward a society rooted in mutual respect and dignity.
Red Dress Day started in 2010, when Métis artist Jamie Black hung hundreds of red dresses to honour MMIWG2S+.Since then, it has taking place every May 5 as more groups started similar initiatives.
According to Statistics Canada, Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people in Canada are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than non-Indigenous women.