Hundreds honour MMIWG with Red Dress Day march in Regina
People braved rain and cold Friday to show respect for those lost
Hundreds gathered Friday at the Mamaweyatitan Centre in Regina to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls with a Red Dress Day march.
Red Dress Day honours missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG). It has been happening since 2010 and was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black, who made an exhibition called the REDdress Project. Black hung hundreds of red dresses to represent MMIWG in Canada. May 5 is the official Red Dress Day, but Friday's march was an early start to this year's observances.
Samantha Racette, the Indigenous community development co-ordinator of Four Directions Community Centre, said it's important to remember MMIWG in our community.
"Numbers are climbing at a crazy rate," Racette said. "We see it every day and this is more about the community. It's about our collective healing."
Despite a rainy day, Racette and many others walked from Elphinstone Street to Albert Street. Singers and drummers led the group. Some of the walkers carried signs, held photos of loved ones and wore red.
"This is incredibly powerful. The collaborative healing and effort that have gone into this is going to echo throughout the community and throughout Saskatchewan," Racette said.
Racette hopes all people in Canada can come together and raise awareness of MMIWG.
Richard Dubois, an artist born and raised in Regina, said he has gone through many struggles — poverty, addictions — and has lived in 20 houses in the area throughout his life.
He said he has family members who have gone missing and wanted to show his support at the event.
"There's gonna be people in our community today who are walking and need to see that unity because of their grieving," Dubois said. "They need people to see that they still care."
He said he's seen people struggle on a daily basis, especially women, who are life-givers and earn the right to be looked after.
"It's our job to rally around those people, not just our own women, but all the women in our community," Dubois said.
One mother said she came to the walk to be part of making change.
Chastity Delorme, from Cowessess First Nation, is a mentor at Chief Red Bear Lodge.
Delorme has two daughters. She said she has had to be a bit of a "helicopter mom," needing to know where they are at all hours of the night.
"Because of my fear. I let them know that it's not that I don't trust them, it's the world that I don't trust," Delorme said.
She hopes the event will bring awareness to the racism and stereotyping Indigenous women face.
"I have to teach them things that maybe other other moms don't have to teach their young daughters, just because they have long beautiful brown hair and are Indigenous," said Delorme.
"That they are a target. And that's always been in my mind since they were born."
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