‘It’s their spirits that are blowing in the wind’
Flag lowered at Niagara headquarters to mark Red Dress Day
Red dresses hung from the trees, flying in the wind. Flags sat at halfmast in recognition of the missing and murdered. The only sounds came from the women leading the walk of unity along the warm, sunlit Thorold streets.
Drumming and singing in mourning for those who were lost, but also in strength for those who remain. A commitment to keep fighting for justice, to keep fighting until there are no more missing or murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
And a flag was lowered, not raised, to mark the sombre purpose of those in attendance at a ceremony at Niagara Region headquarters Friday to mark Red Dress Day.
“It was incredibly powerful,” said Cassandra Ogunniyi, manager of diversity, equity and inclusion and Indigenous relations for Niagara Region.
“The dresses represent all of the women that are gone, that aren’t here anymore. It’s their spirits that are blowing in the wind so it’s a really powerful, physical display.”
Dozens of people attended the gathering outside regional headquarters on Friday afternoon, where red dresses flew through Sunday, the national day of recognition of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
For Elaine Jones, her list — now at 27 missing or murdered women in Ontario alone — is already too long. It includes her sister, as well as her brother, who died in a hospital waiting room where “nobody knew his name, nobody cared.”
To her, the red dress is a statement. A colour of attraction, red against the green backdrop brings about necessary questions because even today, there are many Canadians who “don’t know the true story of why we’re marching, why we’re singing,” said Jones.
That willingness to inquire and listen is crucial in bringing about change but is also the hardest part, she said.
“I grew up in Cornwall, I grew up in Syracuse. I’ve got horror stories from my childhood, being an Indigenous woman, growing up. But I had a mother, I had a grandmother, I had a community. Everybody doesn’t have that,” she said.
“If you don’t have that community, you fall through the cracks and that’s what we don’t want. We want to fix all the roads that we’re walking.”
In 2015, the final report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released, including 215 Calls for Justice that applied to all layers of society from government and individuals to education and hospitals.
In her speech before the walk of unity, Jones encouraged people to take at least one action.
“We can’t stand here any longer and just watch what’s happening. We need to stand up,” she said. “We’re coming up to our 50-year anniversary in Canada where women are allowed to have voices, Indigenous people are allowed to have voices, start using your voice.”
Residential schools and the history of those who are missing and murdered are part of Canadian history, despite a lack of education or those who wish that it did not exist. Ogunniyi said it’s a “really tragic part of our history that is now still playing out today.”
“There’s a lot of intergenerational trauma, there’s a lot of abuse that has been handed down, there’s a lot of culture that has been lost because the Canadian government was systemically trying to erase Indigenous people, Indigenous culture, Indigenous ways of knowing and doing,” she said.
That has continued to cause issues today, she said. Love wasn’t handed down from one generation to another, there was no love shown to their children because of the abuse experienced in residential schools.
“There is still thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and two-spirit people, and men as well. It’s also an epidemic among men,” said Ogunniyi.
“Days like today are symbolic and we hope that they continue on and we do show action to follow up the symbols and the walk of unity.”
It was the first time the Region included the walk along Sir Isaac Brock Way, with members of Niagara Regional Police taking part, which she said is “absolutely essential.”
“There’s a lot of interaction between Indigenous people and the police, so to work towards improving those relationship and they’re definitely on the way,” said Ogunniyi.
“The new deputy chief has definitely made it known that this is something he is personally invested in and he wants to see the police force here in Niagara do better.”