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Red dresses hung outside Shining Mountains Living Community Services in Red Deer on Wednesday to recognize Red Dress Day, a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (photo supplied)
National Day Of Awareness

Red Dress Day recognized in Red Deer

May 6, 2021 | 10:31 AM

A number of Red Deerians gathered outside Shining Mountains Living Community Services Wednesday morning to recognize the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, also known as Red Dress Day.

Raye St. Denys, executive director at Shining Mountains, says the ceremony featured prayers, song, and an opportunity to reflect on the lives of those lost or still missing.

“The red dress has been a symbol for Indigenous women for quite a while,” she explains. “It also symbolizes the blood that we’ve lost, the connections in our families that we’ve lost, so that’s why we use them. They’re hung empty but they should be filled, they should be worn on women and they’re hung to symbolize the fact that there’s no one there.”

Fourteen red dresses were hung at Shining Mountains on 46 Street, including two Metis toonicks, a Metis capote, and an Inuit winter jacket.

St. Denys says Red Dress Day and the National Day of Awareness truly highlight the need to protect the women in our lives.

“They have value. They’re missing and they leave holes in the fabric of our families and our community that can’t be fixed. I hope the issue brings to all people, the value of women in our homes and in our community.”

(Shining Mountains Living Community Services)

“Today, our hearts are with the families and survivors as we mourn and honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ (Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual plus) people. On Red Dress Day we reflect, grieve, and continue our work together towards ending this ongoing national tragedy,” Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, said in a statement.

“Canada’s colonial past has had a lasting and negative impact on Indigenous communities. Canada’s history, along with sexism, ableism, racism, homophobia, transphobia as well as the actions and inactions of past governments created systemic discrimination and inequities, which must be addressed in order for Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to be safe wherever they live.”