An Event in Honour of Red Dress Day

On Monday, May 5th, 2025, Indigenous Engagement and Communications, the Centre for Human Rights Research, and the Margaret Laurence Endowment Fund (Women’s & Gender Studies) at the University of Manitoba invite you to join an event in honour of National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ (MMIWG2S+) people, also known as Red Dress Day. The event will take place in Centre Space, Russell Building, 84 Curry Place at the University of Manitoba.

The event will begin with a traditional Pipe Ceremony and Water Ceremony at 1:30 p.m., creating a space for reflection and connection. For the ceremony, ribbon skirts are encouraged but not necessary. You may also bring tobacco, but some will be available.  

Following the ceremony, Cambria Harris, whose work is driven by her family’s loss and the crisis affecting the Indigenous community, will share her advocacy work, raise awareness about MMIWG2S+ crisis, and share ways to get involved in the community. 

At 3:30 p.m., all are invited to participate in an informal beading circle. Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette will be working on a community art piece, incorporating beadwork created on October 4, 2024 during the Provincial Day of Awareness and the National Day of Action for MMIWG2S+. 

This event is an opportunity to honor and remember all those affected by MMIWG2S+, to come together in community to heal and reclaim spaces.  To learn more about MMIW2S+, please see our Resource Guide.

Light snacks will be served. For information on getting to the University of Manitoba, see: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here

About the Presenters

Cambria Harris, MMIWG2S+ Community Advocate/Impacted Family Member

My spirit name is West Flying Sparrow Woman, and I am a proud member of Long Plain First Nation. I became a MMIWG2S+ advocate after learning that my mother Morgan Harris was murdered, alongside three other Indigenous woman by a serial killer in 2022. From learning of my mom’s disappearance, to fighting for her justice, to fighting to get her out of a landfill, I hope to share my stories of resilience and strength with everyone in. I was 22 when I started this fight, to now being 24, and ready to share my story and reclaim space, as a mother and a matriarch.

Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette

Sherry Farrell Racette is an interdisciplinary scholar with an active arts and curatorial practice. Her work is grounded in story: stories of people, stories that objects tell, painting stories, telling stories and finding stories. She has done extensive work in archives and museum collections with an emphasis on retrieving women’s voices and recovering knowledge. Most recently she was cross-appointed to the Departments of Native Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Manitoba. Farrell Racette also had an extensive career in Saskatchewan education, working at SUNTEP Regina (GDI), First Nations University of Canada, and the University of Regina. She remains committed to experiential learning and Indigenous pedagogies.