Red dresses appear around Yellowknife for missing and murdered Indigenous women

The red dress isthe only piece of crimson clothing that Angela Canning owns.

And on Friday, Canning hung it outside her Yellowknife home on a street that gets lots of traffic, with the hope that many would see it and question it.

"I'm trying to reach the people that don't actually know about all our missing and murdered Aboriginal women," said Canning, whose family is from the Dehcho in the Northwest Territories.

Friday is Red Dress Day in Canada, an initiative started by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nationsto raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The federation is urging people to wear a red dress a symbol representing missing and murdered Indigenous women.

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Canning had bought the dress for her sister's wedding. Now it serves another noble purpose.

"It was just meant to be," she said.

AFacebook post prompted Canning to take action.

"It just made me feel like I just needed to do something," she said.

"Growing up, I always felt like I just needed to listen, behave, keep quiet, keep my head down," Canning said.

But she's relieved more people are talking about Indigenous issues. "Progress takes time, so I'm hopeful."

She said that seeingyoung Indigenous men and women speaking out makes her especiallyproud.

"I just love it," said Canning, shedding some tears. "It's just really emotional how proud it makes me. [They're] happy tears."

Red dress at Mildred Hall

"I'm the only one who wore a dress," said Courtney Jung, a teacher at Mildred HallSchool in Yellowknife.

When staff had a conversation about the day of awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women, Jung knew she wanted to show her support.

"We agreed that it is an important day to honour. So I went out and actually bought a red dress yesterday, just for today," said Jung. A red dress hung outside the school Friday in support of Red Dress Day.

Jung has a personal connection to the issue.

"I have a few friends who have had family members and friends who have gone missing and who have been forgotten," Jung said. "And so for me it was my way of showing that it is an important date, and I do recognize that for them."

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