05/05/2026
Today, my daughter and I are wearing red, for the lives that should still be here.
Today is National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It exists because Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people are still going missing and being murdered at rates far higher than anyone should accept.
The red dress comes from the work of Métis artist Jaime Black through the REDress Project. Empty dresses hung in public spaces represent those who are missing. The red calls to the spirits. It asks them to be seen. It asks us to pay attention.
As a mother, this hits differently.
I look at my daughter and think about the future she deserves. A future where she is safe. A future where her voice matters. A future where she is not reduced to a statistic, and I can’t ignore that for so many Indigenous families, that safety was never guaranteed.
This isn’t just history.
This is still happening.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls called this crisis exactly what it is, a result of systemic violence rooted in colonialism and racism. Awareness is not enough on its own, but silence is what allowed this to continue for so long.
So today, we wear red.
We remember the women. The girls. The Two-Spirit people. We stand with the families who are still searching, still grieving, still fighting to be heard, and we teach the next generation to never look away.
