Today (May 5) is Red Dress Day on Oneida Nation of the Thames and across the country.
Red dresses will be hung throughout the community not as decorations. But to signify empty spaces where sisters, mothers, daughters and gender-diverse relatives should be.
A day to honour these lives and reaffirm the community’s unwavering commitment to the the safety and healing of families.
A day not only of remembrance, but also a call to action.
Oneida Nation is calling for a transition from symbolic gestures to measurable, transparent action on the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
In a media release, a Community Call to Action is presented.
We ask our neighbors and allies to join us in this sustained commitment. True support means:
• Learning: Engaging deeply with the 231 Calls for Justice to understand the full scale of the work required.
• Challenging Bias: Actively confronting racism and gender-based violence within your own circles and
institutions.
• Standing with Families: Uplifting the voices of survivors and ensuring that the memory of those lost is never
allowed to fade.
The release concludes, “The Oneida Nation of the Thames will not let the memory of our relatives pass into silence. We stand alongside all Nations and relations to ensure a future where the next generation grows up safe, valued, and protected.”
Written by Ian McCallum
