The REDress Project | Wear Red on May 5 to honor the memory of our sisters who have been murdered or gone missing.

Behind centuries of a growing missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls crises, with murder rates reaching more than 10 times the national average in the U.S. alone, Indigenous families, communities, organizations, and grassroots efforts have brought international awareness to the epidemic.

The National Partners Work Group on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and MMIW Family Advisors have organized a National Week of Action (May 1 - May 7, 2023) to honor our missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The Senate of the United States, on May 3, 2023, by S. RES. 194, designated May 5, 2023, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls." The Resolution "calls on the people of the United States and interested groups—to commemorate the lives of missing and murdered American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women whose cases are documented and undocumented in public records and the media; and to demonstrate solidarity with the families of victims in light of those tragedies."

On Thursday, May 4, 2023, United States President Joe Biden signed A Proclamation on Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, 2023. The proclamation states. "Our Government has a solemn obligation to ensure that every case of a missing or murdered Indigenous person is met with swift, effective action to finally bring justice and healing. Together, we will get that done."

In the Canadian House of Assembly, Pam Parsons, the minister responsible for women and gender equality, stated, "Speaker, I rise today to recognize tomorrow, May 5, as the National Day of Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, also known as Red Dress Day. The minister highlighted spending to support Indigenous-led violence prevention initiatives included in their budget this year and stated, "Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people face higher rates of violence than their non-Indigenous, cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. Speaker, preventing this violence requires an approach that is culturally appropriate and informed by Indigenous knowledge keepers."

The missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls crisis knows no boundaries or political or colonial borders. It is an international situation of exigency and urgency. You can take action now by participating in the National Partners Work Group virtual events, exploring their list of resources, and organizing additional actions in your communities on and around May 5.

#MMIW #MMIWActionNow #NoMoreStolenSisters