Mr. PG waves Red Dress flag
Mr. PG is now waving the Prince George Red Dress Society’s flag to raise awareness leading up to May 5 which is the “Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-spirit People.”
Almost one year ago the City of Prince George officially proclaimed May 5 as a day of awareness as an act of solidarity with the community of Ladysmith, B.C. where a red dress installation was vandalized.
Red dresses have been widely adopted as a symbol to raise awareness for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls since Métis artist Jamie Black’s 2010 red dress art project.
“It’s quite amazing actually to see how awareness has grown and how this movement just keeps going and going,” said Tammy Miese, president of the Prince George Red Dress Society, who has been organizing Red Dress events in Prince George since 2016.
“When we first put the Red Dress flag up it was quite interesting - I learned a lot,” said Miese. “It’s important to bring the flag out and to bring that conversation up whether it be good or whether it’s bad. It’s still talking about that conversation and having it within our own community.”
Miese said this year on May 5 the Prince George Red Dress Society will be making a special announcement regarding what’s upcoming for the society in September.
“There are a few different projects within our community that are going on right now and it’s so exciting and how everybody has come together to support one another,” added Miese.
“We’re all here for the same thing. Right? We’re all here to ensure that they’re not forgotten, and we do give them a voice.”
Individuals are invited to show their support leading up to May 5 by hanging a red dress in their window or yard and for one week after in honour of the thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who have gone missing or been murdered.