Red dresses hung throughout the south lobby of Connecticut’s State Capitol.
“Red dresses are supposedly a color that spirits can see,” said Darlene Kascak of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. “By hanging red dresses, we’re welcoming those spirits into this space.”
May 5 is known nationwide as Red Dress Day, aimed at calling attention to high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls. Now, the scope of the observance has expanded. The annual event is now also called Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day.
A special ceremony was held Friday at the State Capitol. Citizens of Connecticut’s state-recognized tribes spoke out about the disproportionate number of Native people who are murdered or go missing each year.
Dawnrae Rocha, secretary of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, said: “Too many cases are never fully investigated, never properly recorded and never resolved. This is not an oversight. This is a failure in the system.”
The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center reports Native women are murdered at rates 10 times the national average. Homicide is roughly the third leading cause of death among Indigenous women ages 10-24.
“All over the United States, tribes have been pushed into these big reservations … People are missing and murdered and they don’t have the help of the police," said Linda McCarthy, a member of the Council of Elders of the Mohegan Tribe.
That’s often due to jurisdictional challenges, according to McCarthy. And although violence against Indigenous peoples is less prevalent in the Northeast, Native peoples everywhere come together annually to raise awareness.
“People impacted by this deserve the same protection and support as any other group of people who get an immense amount of resources when they go missing or are facing any type of physical or emotional damage.” said Latoya Cluff, vice chairwoman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council.
Tribes are calling for better data collection and better coordination with law enforcement.
The gathering in Hartford was hosted by State Sens. Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) and Eric Berthel (R-Watertown). Osten said it’s important to remember Connecticut’s early history, when colonists tried to exterminate Native peoples.
“Right now on the State Capitol we have in a place of honor John Mason, who committed genocide in Connecticut," Osten said. "People forget history if you don’t talk about it.”
Following an indoor presentation, people moved outside where they spread red sand into the sidewalk cracks. Their message: No one should stand by while others continue to fall through the cracks.
