Red Dress Day, held every May 5th, is a National Day of Remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+). This day began in 2010 with the REDress Project by Métis artist Jaime Black, who hung empty red dresses in public spaces as symbols of lives lost, lives that too often go unnoticed or unacknowledged.
The University of Waterloo community marked this important day with reflection, ceremony, and collective learning, hosted by the Office of Indigenous Relations and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO). Red Dress Day brought together students, faculty, and staff to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People in Canada.
The ceremonies started with opening remarks and a sacred fire led by Elder Myeengun Henry, where people could offer sema (tobacco). Red dresses were hung throughout the BC Matthews Hall Green, each one standing for a stolen life and a powerful call for justice. Beside each dress was displayed a story of someone whose life was cut short by violence. Together this created a beautiful and devastating visual reminder of the ongoing pain. The dresses will remain up for a week and the wider community is invited to tie red ribbons in their neighborhoods as a reminder.
Following the ceremony, we gathered to hear from Ojibway and Mohawk filmmaker Cher Obediah. Her short film, Beautiful Disaster, and accompanying talk, Red Dress Reflections: Transforming Tomorrow, offered a compelling and deeply emotional invitation to reflect on abusive relationships, the legacy of colonialism, and the importance of personal healing and collective action. Her words were a reminder that change is both systemic and deeply personal and that true transformation begins when we take responsibility for both.
The next day, Centre for Peace Advancement participants and community partners participated in a preview of an experiential workshop led by Fiona Li from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario, in collaboration with Scott Morton Ninomiya, MCC’s Indigenous Neighbours Program Coordinator. The workshop places participants in the shoes of Indigenous women navigating the Canadian justice system where trauma, systematic racism, and intergenerational harm intersect. At each stop, participants learn sobering statistics, hear personal narratives, and are given some choice in how they might respond to unexpected challenges. One moment that stood out was when some participants were told “You three - we don’t know where you are. You’re missing or murdered.” This was a harrowing reminder of the harsh realities many Indigenous families live with every day.
Fiona started the research that informs this workshop as a Map the System project in 2024, and has spent the past year working closely with Indigenous partners to carefully develop this experience. Knowing the depth of pain and injustice this topic carries, Fiona and Scott have taken their time, listening to people’s stories, consulting communities, and approaching the work with the care it deserves. While the workshop is not yet available to the public, when it is ready it will be a powerful tool for education and change. Stay tuned for updates from MCC Ontario as they continue this important work.
Red Dress Day is more than a memorial; it is a call to action. It reminds us that this violence is still ongoing, rooted in colonial systems that continue to harm Indigenous communities. The stories we heard, the dresses we hung, and the emotions we shared are all part of the larger movement for justice.