b'REDRESS PROJECTI think of those dresses as warriors that stand with us as we fight for justice. They truly call in the spiritual power of the women weve lostAt the time, it was not a publicly understood or addressed issue,and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Report points to Black recalls. I wanted to make the public encounter and interactcontributing factors that include intergenerational trauma, poverty, with this issue on a visceral level through art. But in a way thathomelessness and barriers to education, employment, health care and would allow them to make connections, ask questions, and open thecultural support. door for education and solidarity. In other words, the goals of colonial systems are the same as they ever were but, as Black notes, Theyve just moved into a different ITS A COLONIAL ISSUE, NOT AN INDIGENOUS ISSUE house. For example, we know that residential schools are closed. Black has come to realize that MMIWG is not strictly an IndigenousBut for a lot of the people that I spend time with, that chapter of our issue. We need to change the dialogue from Indigenous issues tohistory isnt over. Here in Manitoba, I believe that over 90 per cent of colonial issues. This is an issue of colonization, of a certain waychildren in foster care are Indigenous. Its the same energy.of being in the world that harms other people, she says. Its not about us as Indigenous people. Its about the tactics that are used toWARRIORS THAT STAND WITH OUR FIGHT FOR JUSTICEeradicate people. The REDress Project was designed as a visual reminder of the Taking a root cause approach, Black wants us to turn our attentionstaggering number of Indigenous women who are no longer with towards damaging systems. Its the systems at large that cause theus. Black wanted to raise awareness of MMIWG by drawing atten-harm. Thats what we need to unpack, talk about, and think abouttion to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against as a whole, says Black. Why arent we studying what makesAboriginal women, and to evoke presence by marking absence. human beings do this to other human beings? Why is it our issue thatOver time, Blacks own perception of the work has changed. At first, were being hurt?she was focused on the violence that Indigenous women were facing, Often, Indigenous women are blamed for the violence perpetratedunsafe spaces, and the harms of colonialism. But six years on, the against them, and then expected to educate others about thework felt so heavy that she was not sure if she could carry on. I violence. This doesnt sit well with Black. Weve just gone throughhad to make a change in perspective for the work to continue, and the day for residential school victim survivors. So many womenI started thinking about not just the absence, but the presence and I know spent that day telling their stories. Thats really importantpower the dresses represent, Black recalls. Now, I think of those work, explains Black. But how heavy of a burden do we havedresses as warriors that stand with us as we fight for justice. They to carry in the face of the system thats trying to crush us? Ittruly call in the spiritual power of the women that weve lost. They gets infuriating. stand with us and watch over us as we do this work.That is not the only thing on Blacks mind after the recent National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Violence against IndigenousCongratulations to ONWA on their 50th Anniversarywomen is coming from the same place as violence against young children, the residential school system, and forced assimilation ofServing an entire culture, she notes. It all stems from the devaluing and dehumanizing of Indigenous people across the board. Indigenous Black has observed that these issues can be difficult to understand,Families in especially for non-Indigenous people. Accordingly, she has comethe Nbisiing up with a concise way to distil this complex message. I tell people that colonialism is alive and well, she says. Its still kicking, andTerritoryour entire system is built on it. These systems are part of that, and theyre all interconnected. Indeed, it is important to remember that the issue of MMIWG doesktigaaningmidwives.comnot exist in a vacuum. The 2019 National Inquiry into Missing Ontario Native Womens Association21'