Image: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

MMIWG2S

Tk’emlups te Secwépemc commemorates Red Dress Day

May 5, 2025 | 5:19 PM

TK’EMLUPS — An emotional crowd gathered in Moccasin Square Gardens at Tk’emlups te Secwépemc (TteS) Monday (May 5), commemorating Red Dress Day.

The first Red Dress Day was held 15 years ago in response to the disproportionate number of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who experience violence, go missing or are murdered. The situation prompted a national inquiry several years ago and families are still pushing for the inquiry’s Calls for Justice to be implemented.

Displays within Moccasin Square Gardens offered attendees a chance to reflect on the local people impacted.

“I have been affected by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women for the last three years,” Jessika Myers told the audience during an open mic session at the event. “My baby sister was murdered three years ago. Her name is Shenita Myers.”

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Tk’emlups leadership also acknowledged how close to home the issue is, with comments made during a welcoming address from Tkwenem7iple7 Nikki Fraser.

“Those two dresses represent two of our own Tk’emlups te Secwépemc stolen sisters,” she explained, gesturing to the two red dresses hung at the front of the hall. “One is Annie Peters and the other is for my cousin, Samantha Paul.”

Tk’emlups Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir highlighted the advocacy still needed to see more than 200 Calls for Justice implemented that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released in 2019.

“These are not just recommendations. These are legal and moral obligations. They’re legal and moral obligations on behalf of our families and those not brought home,” reiterated Casimir.

Speakers like Wilma Boyce from the BC Native Women’s Association also pointed to the residential school system’s role in the systemic violence.

“We need to start protecting our men and women that are very vulnerable. The residential schools and the religions like Catholic, Christian and all the other religions that have taught in residential school have created perfect victims,” Boyce says. “Perfect victims for sexual abuse, perfect victims for violence, perfect victims for serial killers. It is very imperative for our people to build a community of resilience right from children, right from elders, right to our women and our men.”

Monday’s event brought in perspective from across the country. Cheryl Anderson of the Manitoba Moon Voice Inc. was the keynote speaker and provided some insight into the level of advocacy her organization has undertaken with the Search the Landfill movement north of Winnipeg, and other instances of pushing for more investigative avenues to be taken with missing persons.

“In our community in Manitoba, we want to bring home the women who have not been rescued, have not been reclaimed, and we want to let them know that we are not going to stop until they are brought home,” Alexander told CFJC Monday.

Education is a key component of enacting change, according to those actively working to see the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice put into place.

“When we talk about our murdered and missing, it’s not just one day a year or two days a year — October 4 or May 5. For the families who are impacted and traumatized with those lost loved ones, it’s forever,” Alexander reiterates.

With that in mind, Red Dress Day marks both a way for people to honour lost lives and draw attention to the need to put an end to the violence.

“Elbows up, Canadians, elbows up to our leadership,” previous TteS Tkwenem7iple7 Viola Thomas encouraged the crowd.