City New West honours Red Dress Day with display

TheresaMcManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord ca

A display of red dresses around the community is one of the ways New Westminster is commemorating Red Dress Day.

May 5 is Red Dress Day, a day that honours the memory and lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people across Canada and the United States As part of this year’s campaign, the City of NewWestminster will be creating a display of red dresses in the community

Community members are invited to honour the memory and lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people at a free event taking place in Hyack Square on Friday, May 5 from 3 to 5 p m

Hosted by the Spirit of the Children Society and the City of NewWestminster, the event includes a red dress display, a ceremony at 4 p m and family-friendly activities Free red dress pins and refreshments will be available while supplies last Attendees are encouraged to wear red to show their support. NewWestminster City Hall will also be lit up in red in hour of Red Dress Day on May 5.

Mayor Patrick Johnstone has proclaimed May 5 as Red Dress Day in NewWestminster.

“Metis artist Jaime Black helped inspire the red dress movement where red dresses are hung from windows and trees as a representation of the pain and loss felt by loved ones and survivors,” said the proclamation.

“Indigenous women and girls are five times more likely to experience vio- lence than any other population in Canada.This is a national crisis that requires urgent, informed and collaborative action.”

The proclamation said the Red Dress campaign is being organized jointly by the Spirit of the Children Society and the City of NewWestminster. It stated that non-Indigenous people have a role to play in the fight for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people in this country

Coun Nadine

Nakagawa said some people may think the issue has gone away since the federal government did a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

“It very clearly hasn’t,” she said “There’s nonstop news reports across Canada, including our larger MetroVancouver community, about Indigenous women and girls and twospirit folks going missing and being murdered ”

Launched in September 2016, the national inquiry published its final report in June 2019

“There are actions for all levels of government, including us, to take from

Faculty of

that report,” Nakagawa said “That report was created with literally, quite literally, blood and tears And I just really want to emphasize that ”

In 2019, NewWestminster city council approved a series of actions in response to Reclaiming Power and Place:The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls The report contains 231 calls to justice

“This is an important day for the community to reflect on the rights of Indigenous women and girls whose lives are just at so much more risk than myself as a non-Indigenous person,” Nakagawa said “So, again, if you haven’t read the murdered and missing Indigenous women report from 2019, it’s still there, it’s still available; the calls are still relevant, and I encourage us all to take a look at the calls for justice and commit to moving them forward ”

The proclamation noted the city has declared AYear ofTruth, and asks NewWest residents to join the city on its reconciliation journey