Red Dress Day | National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S) (May 5, 2025)

May 5th is recognized as National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S), also known as Red Dress Day.   On this day, we are encouraged to wear red to honour and remember missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people; and to encourage one another to take action for change. 

Jaime Black, a Métis artist from Winnipeg, began the movement in 2011 with an art installation that was called the REDress Project. Hundreds of empty red dresses were gathered and hung to represent the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. 

Through the REDress Project, the spirits of the missing or murdered women and girls stand with us here today, giving us courage, strength and clarity – leading us forward on a path to REclaim our sovereignty as Indigenous women.

Jaime Black, REDress Day

Click the links below for more information and access to learning resources: 

• The REDress Project – Jaime Black (jaimeblackartist.com)
• The REDress Project (Jaime Black - YouTube)
• Red Dress Day | The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Calls for Justice | MMIWG (mmiwg-ffada.ca)
• Gallery of Artistic Expressions | MMIWG (mmiwg-ffada.ca)