Remembrance and reflection on Red Dress Day in Waterloo Region

The red dresses dancing in the wind around Waterloo Region on Monday offer a reminder of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

Red Dress Day is an annual, national day of remembrance and activism that began in 2010. Since then, it’s message has been backed by statistics and, unfortunately, continued violence towards Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people.

According to Amnesty International Canada, Indigenous women and girls in Canada are 12 times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women and girls, and make up approximately 25 per cent of all homicide victims despite representing just 5 per cent of the population.

“Imagine a family member, father or grandfather, trying to come to the realization that their children and grandchildren could be killed by violence at much higher rates than any other Canadian,” said Elder Myeengun Henry, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper with the University of Waterloo.

A Red Dress Day walk, hosted by The Healing of the Seven Generations, will take place starting at 10 a.m. The event starts at 300 Frederick St., heads through Kitchener’s downtown core, and finishes at the clock tower at Victoria Park, where a red dress display is set up.

Elder Henry noted that learning and teaching can be a powerful tool in understanding and bringing light to the issues that Red Dress Day stands for.

“Any non-Indigenous person can help by understanding the facts and talking to your circles, your family, your friends, your community,” said Elder Henry. “I think this will help the process along.”

“Talk to your families, your children at home, to help them understand that this world can be a better place if we all understand that our purpose is to make it a better place.”

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