A gathering in Galt Gardens marked Red Dress Day on May 5. The day honours the memories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit Peoples across Canada.
The event featured dancing, drumming and an opportunity for people to share their experiences and memories of their own loved ones.
Selena Medicine Shield danced at the event after sharing her own story and memories of her grandmother, Gloria Black Plume, who was murdered in 1999.
“I will continue to create awareness and education around MMIWG and addressing this issue as all Indigenous young women and girls,” she said. “I have been to many schools and childrens’ events to make sure that children are aware of their surroundings and to know that they are not alone because I believe it is important to save the wellbeing and the life that the youth have today.”
Medicine Shield said she goes to many places to share her family’s story and the way it has affected her.
“Growing up, my mother was every strict, at least that’s what I used to think. I now understand that why she didn’t let us leave the house that often, I now understand that she was just trying to protect her young daughters. My mother and my family are so affected that they do not allow us to leave alone. It isn’t right that us girls, or even Indigenous people should be afraid to walk down the street or go to a friend’s house or go to a store. We can’t keep living this way, it’s an ongoing effect and we can’t let it keep happening,” she said.
The 2015 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was launched in 2015 and it investigated systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women and girls, including social, economic, cultural, and institutional. The final report was released in 2019 and included 231 Calls for Justice.
Locally, the city created the MMIWG Recommendations and Work Plan, which includes 25 recommendations and a series of projects to address the barriers Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ face in the community.