b'REDress PROJECTCalling on the Power of By Anna-Liza BadalooWOMEN LOSTArtist Jaime Black reflects on the REDress Project and its role O in bringing MMIWG into the national discoursever the years, the REDress Project has become a truly mobilizing symbol for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement. The project has been featured in exhibits across Canada and the U.S., including the Canadian Museum of Human Rights and the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The Red Dress is now part of our cultural awareness, an instantly recognizable symbol of Indigenous female power and solidarity.However, much work still lies ahead. Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or missing than non-Indigenous women in Canada. In 2019, Indigenous women and girls repre-sented 28 per cent of homicides perpetrated against women, despite only making up four per cent of the Canadian population. Those are startling and unacceptable statistics.She is Wise recently sat down with the driving force behind the project, Finnish and Mtis artist Jaime Black, to learn how the project has evolved, how it has impacted Blacks own journey, and how Indigenous people, settlers and allies can best collaborate to take meaningful action on the issues ofMMIWG. OPENING THE DOOR FOR EDUCATION AND SOLIDARITYFor Black, starting the REDress Project was not planned. In 2009, she was well on her way to becoming a teacher. But she yearned to be an artist. Blacks activist involvement meant hearing troubling stories from families about violence. She saw the daily injustices faced by Indigenous women being sweptTitle: resilienceunder the rug. That was when she decidedArtist: Jaime Blackthat becoming a teacher was not the only2016way to raise awareness about MMIWG. 20Fall/Winter 2022'