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Red Dress Day

May 5 is Red Dress Day, a day to remember murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The families of these victims never received answers or justice for the loss of their loved ones, and so it is also a day to draw attention to the systemic racism at the heart of this issue. This day of memorial came out of the REDress project by artist Jaime Black (Anishinaabe and Finnish). The books in this list share the stories of the missing and murdered, but also the strength and resilience of Indigenous women fighting to heal their communities.

21 items

  • Reclaiming Power and Place

    Final Report of the National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

    National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (Canada),
    The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The Final…
    Book, 2019[Ottawa] : [Privy Council Office], [2019] — CA1 PC RPP 2019
  • Unbroken

    My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls

    Sterritt, Angela,
    Angela Sterritt (Gitxsan) weaves her own story of survival against the odds into the fabric of the MMIWG2S crisis and humanizes the numbers and statistics that are at times incomprehensible. An unflinching look at this systemic issue the author…
    Book, 2023Vancouver, British Columbia : Greystone Books, 2023, ©2023. — 971. 100497 STE
  • Our Voice of Fire

    a Memoir of a Warrior Rising

    Morin, Brandi,
    Award winning and internationally known French/Cree/Iroquois journalist Brandi Morin takes readers with her as she reflects on her life. As a survivor of the MMIW crisis Brandi has gone on to use her voice to uplift the stories and seek justice for…
    Book, 2022Toronto : Anansi, 2022, ©2022. — 305. 48897 MOR M
  • My Name Is Shield Woman

    a Hard Road to Healing, Vision, and Leadership

    Scalp Lock, Ruth
    Siksika elder, Ruth Scalplock, shares her story of working to heal not only herself, but others in her community. Given the name Awo Taanaakii, which means Shield Woman, Scalplock went on to found the Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society in Calgary, the…
    Book, 2014[Place of publication not identified]: bDayTimemoon, [2014]©2014 — 970. 3 BLA S
  • Red Dresses on Bare Trees

    Stories and Reflections on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

    Editor Michael Hankard (Abenaki) dedicates this book to all the Indigenous grandmothers he spoke to as he compiled this book of writings about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Drawing on traditional teachings and including diverse…
    Book, 2021Vernon, British Columbia : J.Charlton Publishing, 2021, ©2021. — 305. 48897071 RED
  • Forever Loved

    Exposing the Hidden Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada

    Editors Jennifer Brant (Mohawk) and D. Memee Lavell-Harvard (Wikwemikong) have gathered a collection of essays from academics and activists. This book is essential reading for those who want to dispel the toxic stereotypes that are often used to…
    Book, 2016Bradford, Ontario : Demeter Press, 2016, ©2016. — 362. 88082 FOR
  • In Good Relation

    History, Gender, and Kinship in Indigenous Feminisms

    This collection of essays assembled by Sarah Nickel (Tk’emlupsemc) and Amanda Fehr (non-Indigenous), highlights the strength of Indigenous women through the voices of Indigenous artists, activists, and scholars.
    Book, 2020Winnipeg, Manitoba : University of Manitoba Press, 2020, ©2020. — 305. 48897 IN
  • This graphic novel for teens has created a pictorial accompaniment to a letter that Brianna Jonnie (Ojibwe) wrote to the police, government, and media about the ways in which they are failing missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Jonnie,…
    Graphic Novel, 2019Toronto : James Lorimer and Company Limited, Publishers, 2019, ©2019. — YA GRAPHIX JON
  • Elaine Alec's (Syilx and Secwepemc Nations) memoir is personal and powerful. She describes how her traditional teachings were a source of healing for her and hopes that others will use her story as a tool to help them sort through intergenerational…
    Book, 970. 3 SAL A
  • Keetsahnak

    Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters

    An eye-opening collection of essays and personal stories that examine all aspects of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls crisis and provide an Indigenous perspective for the work that needs to be done to address this issue.
    Book, 2018Edmonton, Alberta : The University of Alberta Press, 2018, ©2018. — 305. 48897071 KEE
  • Rebecca Belmore (Anishinaabe) is a multidisciplinary artist and the first Indigenous woman to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale. Witness 28 years of Belmore using her voice as an artist to speak on land and water rights, women's lives and…
    Book, 2018Toronto, Ontario : Art Gallery of Ontario ; Fredericton, New Brunswick : Goose Lane Editions, 2018, ©2018. — 709. 2 BEL B
  • The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, Vol. Two

    a True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island

    Monkman, Kent,
    Monkman uses a blend of history, fiction, and memoir to chronical the histories that Miss Chief bears witness to from the moment of confederation to the present. The traumas and tragedies pile throughout as Monkman and Gordon illustrate the building…
    Book, 2023[Toronto, Ontario] : McClelland & Stewart, 2023, ©2023. — 709. 2 MON v.02
  • Invisible Victims

    Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

    McCarthy, Katherine,
    Katherine McCarthy, of Mi'kmaq and Irish descent, focuses on the horrific murders of Loretta Saunders and Tina Fontaine -- as well as the indifference of law enforcement and media -- within the broader context of the generations of discrimination,…
    Book, 2016[Toronto] : VP Publications, an imprint of RJ Parker Publishing, Inc., 2016, ©2016. — 362. 880820971 MCC
  • Ashley Callingbull Burnham (Enoch Cree Nation) is an actor, film producer, and the first Indigenous woman to win the Ms. Universe pageant. In this REDx Talk Series presentation she shares her personal story and her work as an advocate for missing…
    DVD, 2015[place of publication not identified] : iiniistsi Treaty Arts Society, 2015. — DVD 362. 88082 ASH
  • The Strength of Women

    Âhkamêyimowak

    Editor Priscilla Settee (Cree) has gathered together fifteen stories from Indigenous women who she believes embody "Âhkamêyimowak" a Cree word that represents the resilience of these women to not only survive, but to thrive and work for empowering…
    eBook, 2011Regina [Sask.] : Coteau Books, ©2011 (Saint-Lazare, Quebec : Canadian Electronic Library, 2012) — ELECTRONIC RESOURCE
  • This collection of essays are for the 14-year-old Sasha out on the rez, the one who needed to see that there is power in community, Indigeneity, queerness, music, and being unapologetically punk. Sasha presents a path to healing and survivance for a…
    Book, 2024Berkeley, California : Counterpoint, 2024, ©2024. — 814 LAP
  • Stories of Métis Women

    Tales My Kookum Told Me

    A collection of stories from different Métis women this book is a celebration of their voices as they reflect on topics like Nation building, culture, identity, residential schools, discrimination, and resiliency. Their stories have also been…
    Book, 2021Calgary, Alberta : Durvile & Uproute Books, 2021, ©2021. — 970. 3 MET S
  • Shadowy and atmospheric illustrations accompany David Robertson's (Swampy Cree) fictional story of a young girl, May, who gathers the keepsakes of missing and murdered Indigenous women. As her kokum makes these keepsakes into a necklace, May…
    Graphic Novel, 2016Winnipeg, Manitoba : HighWater Press, 2016, ©2016. — YA GRAPHIX ROB
  • Catherine Lafferty shares her life experiences as a Dene woman who grew up in a small northern mining town in her debut memoir. This book is the coming-of-age story of a woman who became a leader in her community as a council member of the…
    Book, 2018Halifax : Roseway Publishing, an imprint of Fernwood Publishing, 2018, ©2018. — 970. 3 ATH L
  • This short film, which premiered at imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, follows a fictional teenager named Sheena who runs away from a girls home only to be picked up by a threatening stranger. Kanienʼkehá꞉ka actress, Kawennáhere Devery…
    Unknown, 2016Orangeville, ON : McIntyre Media, 2016. — DVD 362. 880820971 STO