Students will tie 21 red ribbons across the UWindsor campus today — Tuesday, Feb. 5 — as a symbol of empowerment, support, and justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people.

Each will bear the name of one of the missing or murdered women, and supporters of the Red Ribbon Awareness Campaign will wear red clothing.

“As we organize these campaigns, the goal is to break down barriers between communities and open up conversations,” says second-year law student Stephanie Pangowish, president of the Indigenous Initiatives Law Student Association.

Law professor Beverly Jacobs says that as an Indigenous women herself, she hopes society will address the root causes of this violence.

“We all need to understand, to care and to make the necessary societal changes to ensure that we feel safe and loved,” she says.

A mini round dance will honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, Feb. 14 in the CAW Student Centre. Hosted by Indigenous Student Initiatives, Native Student Alliance, and Aboriginal Education Centre, it will begin at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public.