Flags will be lowered, red dresses will be hung, and medicines will be lit on May 5 as a tribute to lives lost and forever impacted by colonial violence.
Organized by Indigenous Education, the initiatives are in honour of Red Dress Day, a national day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited people in Canada.
Niagara College has been dedicated to raising awareness of MMIWG2S through its involvement in the REDress project since 2021, in partnership with Brock University. Most recently, the College hosted dress displays and a virtual event for the REDress Project in mid-February with outdoor displays and a virtual event in partnership with Brock University.
Director of Student Services Lianne Gagnon said that Red Dress Day and the REDress Project are important tributes to victims and survivors, and acknowledge the impacts that violence has on families, friends and communities. They also serve as opportunities for the NC community to learn more about the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and its 231 Calls for Justice.
“It’s only by shining a light and providing information that we can take the steps to expose the truth of the violence. That’s why we feel it’s so important to educate our students and staff about the violence perpetrated against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, in the hope of eliminating it,” said Gagnon. “As a postsecondary provider in Niagara, we are proud to stand with our partners at Brock and take a lead role in informing our communities to end the violence and work towards a more diverse and inclusive future for all.”
For Red Dress Day on May 5, dresses will be on display at the main entrances of the Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses. Each dress is a powerful visual reminder of a MMIWG, Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual (2SLGBTQQIA+) victim or survivor from the past 40 years.
In addition to the red dress displays, Indigenous Education welcomes the NC community to join them in the lighting of medicines in honour of Red Dress Day at 11 a.m. at both campuses: L201 in Welland (Lundy first floor, up the stairs near Human Resources), and N003 (lower floor North wing) in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The REDress Project was inspired by an art installation featuring red dress displays by Métis artist Jamie Black in 2011 and has since been replicated in communities across Canada.
Red Dress Day Walk
The NC community is also encouraged to support and participate in a Red Dress Day Walk in downtown St. Catharines. The walk will take place from St. Catharines City Hall to the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre from 5:30 (opening at city hall) to 7 p.m. (closing at the PAC). For information visit mydowntown.ca/event/red-dress-walk.
Watch YourTV Niagara video highlighting NC’s 2022 REDress Project
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2022: REDress Project honours victims and survivors of colonial violence
2021: Brock and NC partner for REDress Project Feb. 8-14
