Skateboarders and people from the Miywasin Friendship Centre gather in a circle under the Saamis Tepee to raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women; girls and two-spirited people.--NEWS PHOTO KELLEN TANIGUCHI
ktaniguchi@medicinehatnews.com@@kellentaniguchi
Twenty-plus young skateboarders wore red and skateboarded from the Medicine Hat Cultural Centre to the Saamis Tepee on Wednesday evening to raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people.
May 5 marked Red Dress Day and skaters from the Medicine Hat Skateboard Association met at the Kinsmen Skatepark at 4:30 p.m. where people from the Miywasin Friendship Centre handed out red dress pins before going to the cultural centre to begin their skate.
“It was a really good turnout and I’m really happy. I think we were more than educated today and our eyes have been opened to what’s going on,” said Davie James, board member of the skateboard association. “The kids were very excited to do it and I think they’re very excited for the future to work with the Miywasin some more on community projects, and it’s just an exciting thing.”
Brenda Mercer, cultural co-ordinator for Miywasin, says she was sitting in Veteran Memorial Park with James trying to figure out something they could do together for Red Dress Day.
“He went away and the next day he got ahold of me and told me the youth would like to skate to the teepee and wear red. And that was amazing to me because the youth decided to do this,” said Mercer.
Mercer says the youth will be leaders and they were so receptive on Wednesday. Once the skaters arrived at the teepee, they gathered in a circle for prayer and a smudging ceremony.
She adds it’s important to bring more awareness to Red Dress Day and says this year’s event was a success.
“It’s really, really important – one day is not enough really,” she said. “Missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people are missing every day … it’s wonderful to see the youth come out and us all work together as a community.”
The Miywasin Friendship Centre plans to expand on its event next year and Mercer hopes schools can get involved and students can make their own red dress pins.
“I think what we’d like to do is get a little red dress template for them to cut out because I think when people do it themselves, cut them out and make them it has more meaning to them,” said Mercer.
