Activists frequently wear red handprints on clothing, masks, and faces
This editorial is the opinion of Morgan Hill Life
We encourage South Valley residents to make a special trip to the Morgan Hill Library May 5 and 6 to view a special free display designed to raise social awareness of violations against females. The Red Dress Day Exhibit in the community room brings awareness to the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women in California and across the nation.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, the display honors and remembers every woman and girl from ages one to 85 who have been lost from these horrible crimes. It is sponsored by the Santa Clara County Library District and the American Association of University Women’s Morgan Hill branch.
Red Dress Day calls attention to the disproportionate rates of violence and murder of indigenous women and girls. Indigenous females are 10 times as likely to be murdered than the national average.
The goal of the local exhibit is to inspire viewers to consider the epidemic of violence against the thousands of women and girls who are murdered or who disappear each year. The national movement is a way to harness and direct this awareness to the public.
Indigenous activists wear red because they say it is the only color the spirits can see, and they wear it so the souls of those lost can be with them. Activists frequently wear red handprints on clothing, masks, and faces.
“A majority of these predators are non-native and are never held accountable for their actions,” said Kathy Chavez Napoli, a member of the AAUW who helped organize the exhibit. “These same perpetrators go on to victimize women and children from any group, community, including non-indigenous women and children.”
