October 4 is Sisters in Spirit National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, (MMIWG) and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.
The day, established by the Native Women’s Association of Canada to raise awareness, educate, research, and collect data on the violence against MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, is often observed through vigils, walks or marches that honour their memory.
A red dress hangs at the Welland Campus on Oct. 2
Red dresses will be on display at Niagara College campuses this week to honour victims and their families. NC’s Indigenous Education department and the Student Rights and Responsibilities Office (SRRO) partnered to hang the dresses indoors.
“SRRO, proving to be our allies, partnered with Indigenous Education to hang the dresses,” said Emily Schutt, Indigenous Student Success Leader at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus. “It’s an emotional and spiritual toll for us as Indigenous people to have to be the ones to hang the dresses, acknowledging that every dress is representing one of our sisters.”
To learn more, please consider reviewing the National Inquiry’s final report, as well as the other information and resources provided below from Indigenous Education and SRRO.
Community events
There are a number of community events happening to recognize Sisters in Spirit National Day of Action for MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ people on Oct. 4.
The City of St. Catharines will be hosting a Sisters in Spirit walk starting at City Hall (50 Church St.) at 5 p.m. A musical showcase – The Circle: Honouring Sisters in Spirit – will follow at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (250 St Paul St.) at 7 p.m. Learn more here.
Living Mino Bimaadiziwin: An Indigenous Journey through the Arts: an immersive visual and audio exhibition that showcases artefacts, a variety of visual artwork by Indigenous artists, and pieces from The Red Dress Exhibit: If Only These Dresses Could Tell Their Story, a powerful installation which has been on tour across North America.
The exhibition, which runs until Oct. 4, takes visitors through a journey of Indigenous life pre and during contact in order to better understand today’s contemporary realities through a highly impactful and immersive installation. Produced audio documentaries, narrative signage, and an interpretive brochure give visitors additional ways to connect with the exhibition’s message – the direct impact Residential Schools have on today’s Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2Spirit individuals (MMIWG2S) epidemic.
Important information
- In Canada, research shows Indigenous women are 400 per cent more likely than other Canadians to go missing. The problem is so pervasive that the Canadian government does not know how many Indigenous women are missing or have been murdered.
(Source: “Overpoliced and underprotected”: UTM study finds search for missing Indigenous women hampered by police apathy, University of Toronto Mississauga article, June 2, 2023); - Indigenous women are 7x more likely to be a victim of murder than non-Indigenous women and Indigenous women are 3x more likely to be violently or sexually assaulted than non-Indigenous women.
(Source: NWAC Action Plan: Our Calls, Our Actions, 2021. Report can be found here: nwac.ca/knowledge-centre); and - Indigenous women account for approximately 5% of all women in Canada but are accounted for 21% of all women killed by an intimate partner from 2014-2019.
(Source: Government of Canada – Fact Sheet: Intimate Partner Violence).
Learning resources
- Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls;
- Our Sisters In Spirit: MMIWG Documentary from alumnus Nick Printup (BRTF, 2015). Printup created the film as a student in NC’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program to explore the question of calling a national public inquiry into Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls;
- Mother. Sister. Daughter (CBC);
- Learning Resources from the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA);
- Safe Passage (an initiative of Native Women’s Association of Canada);
- Missing and Murdered: The Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women and Girls (CBC); and
- A Moral Argument to Search the Landfill in Winnipeg for Murdered Indigenous Women (article on the Search the Landfill movement, posted by The Conversation, Sept. 7, 2023).
Supports available
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.
Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.
Talk 4 Healing offers 24/7 help, support and resources for Indigenous women, by Indigenous women, all across Ontario.
- Talk: Call us at 1-855-554-HEAL and live support will be there to listen, any time of day
- Text: Simply send us a message to receive support anywhere
- Chat: Click on our live chat option and start your session to begin your path to healing
Niagara College student supports are also available through Health, Wellness & Accessibility Services, including from NC’s Indigenous Counsellor, who is available to support students’ mental wellness needs.
Staff and faculty are encouraged to access the Employee and Family Assistance Program.
