Red Dress Day, May 5th, honours the memories of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBQQIA peoples across Canada. Métis artist, Jamie Black, helped inspire the Red Dress movement where dresses are hung from windows and trees to recognize the pain and loss that loved ones, victims and survivors experience.
The empty red dresses are meant to create a visual representation of the missing people who should be wearing them. The colour red was chosen because it represents the lifeblood and connection between all people, and carries significance for many Indigenous cultures. According to lore, red is the only colour spirits can see. The red dresses aid in calling the spirits of the missing and murdered back to their loved ones.
Read more: https://ralphconnor.ca/right-relations/
View the 2022 Red Dress Day commemorative worship event in Banff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFy2kngZMfM