Calgary Public Library hosting Red Dress Day event on Tuesday

Calgarians will have a chance to attend a free Red Dress Workshop on Tuesday.

The Calgary Public Library, in partnership with Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society, will be hosting the workshop to bring awareness to the country’s crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), according to a release.

Red Dress Day is part of a campaign launched by Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society as a way to “provide support and awareness workshops to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.” The main goal of the event is to explain the risks that Indigenous women and girls face when it comes to sexual exploitation and trafficking.

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“This event will bring people from across all cultures to engage in meaningful conversations and promote awareness,” said Josie Nepinak, Executive Director, Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society, in the release.

Attendees will create a small felt doll with a red dress, and each dress is made to represent a missing or murdered loved one.

The release states that a 2014 RCMP report found that there were 1,017 homicides of Indigenous women between 1980 and 2012, though the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls “noted that the 2014 RCMP report likely underestimated the true numbers.”

The event will be held on Tuesday, November 19 at the Central Library and is free for all to drop-in and attend.

It will begin at 11 am with an opening prayer and remarks. The workshop will take place from noon to 2 pm.

“The Library strives to be a safe space where meaningful conversations take place and community happens,” said Mark Asberg, CEO of the Calgary Public Library, in the release.

“I applaud Awo Taan for their Red Dress Campaign and we are proud to partner with them on this event in the hope that it will promote cross-cultural awareness, provide healing and comfort, and help fight racism.”

More information about the Red Dress Campaign can be found here.

Red Dress Day at Central Library

When: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Time: 11 am to 2 pm
Where: Calgary Central Library — 800 3rd Street SE, Calgary
Admission: Free to drop in