15th Anniversary of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples

May 5, 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ Peoples (MMIWG2S+). This day, also known as Red Dress Day, can be traced back to a powerful installation art project by Canadian Métis artist Jaime Black. The installation was “an aesthetic response to a critical national issue.” Black described her hopes for the installation which first took place in 2010, “Through the installation I hope to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Aboriginal women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence.”

In an effort to carry on Black’s message, amplify Indigenous voices, and bring awareness to our local community, the London Arts Council in partnership with the City of London Culture Services have installed red skirts created by Indigenous artist and educator, Kathleen Doxtator from Oneida Nation of the Thames, in the windows of the J. Allyn Taylor building (267 Dundas St).

                     Click through the installation photos by using the arrows on the right and left. The red skirts are displayed to acknowledge the many missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples across Turtle Island, and the ongoing calls for support.

There are great resources provided by other organizations. To learn more about MMIWG2S+ and participate in local events in commemoration of the day, please check out the following websites below: 

Jaime Black; The REDress Project: https://www.jaimeblackartist.com/exhibitions/

Amnesty International: https://amnesty.ca/red-dress-day/  

Atlohsa: https://atlohsa.com/pages/event-calendar#calendar-4ef8aad2-6fa3-4d70-aa25-30be926391df 

Kathleen Doxtator’s work as an artist, educator and community advocate centres Indigenous resilience, culture, and storytelling. She creates handmade ribbon skirts, beadwork, buttons, and wearable art that honour ancestral traditions while uplifting contemporary Indigenous voices, through her business Guided by Our Gifts.

"I created these skirts to be simple, yet powerful – because that’s what Red Dress Day means to me. On May 5th, we show up in red to honour and stand with Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people who are disproportionately affected by violence. These skirts are my way of showing up—with love, resistance, and remembrance stitched into every seam."