Friday May 5th marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People, also known as Red Dress Day. We ask everyone at CNC to acknowledge and reflect on those who have lost their lives or been taken from communities and consider how we can act individually or collectively to end such violence.
The day began with Métis artist Jaime Black’s REDress Project[i] which has led to red dresses displayed in public spaces across Canada.[ii] The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls describes the colonialism, racism, and gender that have led to high rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA.
The final report of the inquiry describes violence being rooted in societal factors such as “historical, multigenerational, and intergenerational trauma; social and economic marginalization; maintaining the status quote and institutional lack of will; and ignoring the agency and expertise of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people”.[iii]
We encourage you to read the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to build your understanding of the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. We also encourage you to take part in community events. We are aware of the following events taking place in the region we serve:
We ask members of the CNC community to be familiar with our student sexual misconduct policy and procedures. It is vital for you to take steps immediately after an incident. These include getting to a safe place, calling 9-1-1 and contacting CNC security as appropriate, and seeking medical attention.
Free, confidential, multilingual support is also available through VictimLinkBC. Please call or text 1-800-563-0808. A support line for those affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people is available at 1-844-413-6649.
Thank you.