LETHBRIDGE — Adding to a Canada-wide movement, Lethbridge remembered and honoured missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people on Friday.
"When we think of the day, it's not a celebration, but it's an opportunity to create awareness and bring the community together in a positive way," said Charlene Bruised Head-Mountain Horse, the Indigenous relations advisor with the City of Lethbridge.
Red Dress Day is meant to bring awareness to, and calls for all Canadians to speak out on, violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
Selena Medicine Shield spoke and danced at a fireside connection hosted in Galt Gardens on Friday afternoon in honour of her grandmother, whose murder in 1999 remains unsolved.
"To me, it is being able to be a voice for all Indigenous people who have gone missing or have been murdered, especially my grandmother and just being able to represent her and tell her story," Medicine Shield said.
Empty red garments -- a symbol for each life that has been lost -- surrounded the fireside connection.
The event, hosted by the City of Lethbridge, Alberta Health Services and other community partners, featured drumming, dancing and the sharing of memories and stories.
Despite an increased awareness and an extensive national inquiry, Indigenous leaders say the situation remains a crisis.
"People like to believe that it's not in our town, it's not in our city, it's not happening to us, but we need to make people aware that it is," said Echo Nowak, an Indigenous relations specialist with the City of Lethbridge and co-organizer of the fireside connection.
"It is our sisters, our brothers, our family members that are going missing and we need to do something about it and the only way we can do something about it is by coming together as a community and making our voices heard."
It's not known exactly how many Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people have been murdered or have disappeared, but the Native Women's Association of Canada believes it's at least 4,000.
As part of the work plan, a toolkit was developed by the City of Lethbridge to help residents and community members learn more about the traditional concepts of family and community life for Niitsitapiiaakiiks (Blackfoot women), Saipáí’tapiiaakiiks (Indigenous, non-Blackfoot women) and two-spirit people.
The toolkit features actions individuals, businesses and media partners can take to support Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in the community.
"There's different opportunities to lobby leadership, empower our local circles," Bruised Head-Mountain Horse said.
A few dozen people gathered on Friday and while Medicine Shield says the support is great to see, she hopes one day she won't have to attend these kinds of ceremonies.
"In the future, I don't want my kids to be afraid to walk to the store or go to a friend's house when they are alone," she said.
"I want them to be safe."
