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123 Red Dresses Become Symbols of Change Change can look like a red dress. For American teenager Maréshia Rucker, colour meant segregation. Hiding in a car, she watched classmates in tuxedos and gowns walk into a posh theatre for her high school's "white prom." Black students like her were not invited. It happened in 2013 – in a town a few miles down the road from Atlanta's new National Center for Civil and Human Rights. "These were people I saw in class everyday," she said. "What was wrong with dancing with me, just because I have more pigment in my skin?" Rucker turned her anger into action for change. Together with her black and white friends, she organized the first racially integrated prom for students of her school – sparking national media attention to the ongoing practice of segregation in America. Her red satin prom dress became a powerful symbol that now hangs in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg. Five floors below, more red dresses hang in front of a woodland background. Blood-red dresses. Empty red dresses – where living and breathing women should be. These dresses tell a different story, but echo a common theme. Artist Jaime Black was also motivated by anger and frustration – over all the missing and murdered Indigenous women. Her REDress Project is a statement about racism, sexism, and marginalization in Canada. As a museum exhibit, it speaks more strongly than words: a call for action and change. "I think the symbol of the red dress is both subtle and compelling and also very simple and accessible," Black said. "People are attracted to the dresses and often connect to them before learning what the project is about, what the dresses represent. When they find out, they are often overwhelmed." These are just two of the hundreds of stories about resilience and hope in action you can find at the Museum. Guided tours (60 and 90 minutes) are offered every day – or explore on your own with the award-winning mobile app. Check the Museum's website for details. The Museum is appropriate for all ages, a space designed to spark thought and conversation within a dramatic architectural setting. A national museum of Canada, the CMHR includes 10 core galleries and diverse temporary exhibitions – including several new additions for Canada's 150 th birthday in 2017. It's time to think and talk about human rights. What will change look like for you? There are hundreds of stories to explore and connect with at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Photo: Aaron Cohen/CMHR Humanrights.ca #AtCMHR Facebook: Canadian Museum for Human Rights Twitter: @CMHR_News Instagram: cmhr_mcdp ADVERTORIAL Find their stories in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights The dress Maréshia Rucker wore to her school's first integrated prom in 2013 symbolized the change that individuals can make. Photo: Dan Harper/CMHR The empty red dresses of Jaime Black's haunting piece about murdered and missing Indigenous women are often photographed and shared by visitors on social media. Photo: Ian McCausland/CMHR

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