More than 60 people gathered to mark REDress Day at Brock University on Friday, Feb. 13 with a morning of reflection, learning and community in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S+).<\/p>\n
Hosted by Hadiya\u2019dag\u00e9nhahs First Nations, M\u00e9tis and Inuit Student Centre<\/a> and the Office of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, in collaboration with Niagara College, the event was part of the REDress Project<\/a>.<\/p>\n The initiative began in 2011 as an art installation by M\u00e9tis artist Jaime Black at the University of Winnipeg.<\/p>\n Speakers included Grandmother Jackie Labonte, Aria D\u2019Alimonte, Shyann Jenkins and Marie-Louise Bowering, who shared personal reflections and discussed the significance of the red dress as a symbol of loss and remembrance.<\/p>\n The gathering featured drumming and song, group discussions and a jingle dress dance demonstration by Brock student Kaylin Proutx-VanEvery and her mother, Charlotte VanEvery.<\/p>\n Participants also contributed red handprints to a collaborative art piece symbolizing a commitment to learn more about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people.<\/p>\n Red dresses will continue to be displayed at Brock campuses and at Niagara College until Wednesday, Feb. 18\u00a0to commemorate the thousands of MMIWG2S+ people lost to colonial violence.<\/p>\n\n\t