Red Dress Day was as a result of the REDress Project, with both having the goal to remember, honour, and raise awareness for the lives of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) across Canada.
On June 3, 2019 Canada released its final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The inquiry included testimonies from 1484 family members and survivors with 15 community hearings and 9 knowledge keeper, expert and institutional hearings. This process resulted in 231 Calls for Justice to end the genocide and transform systemic and societal values that have worked to maintain colonial violence. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the Calls for Justice and consider action you can take to join us in ending violence targeted towards Indigenous women and girls.
OUR SPIRIT is a special blend of Latin American, dark roasted coffee, with a velvety-smooth flavour, featuring aromas of burnt honey, pipe tobacco and cocoa powder. As with all Birch Bark coffee beans, these are certified organic and grown & harvested by SPP Small Producers – an organization that ensures fair and safe working conditions, and living wages for coffee growers and harvesters worldwide, supporting the global Indigenous population toward independence.
Genumark is handling the corporate gifting and custom branding of this blend. Bags can be co-branded for an additional cost, giving your brand the opportunity to publicly support the Red Dress Day goals. For more information on corporate gifting, click LET’S GET STARTED.
For retail opportunities, email: Mark@BirchBarkCoffeeCompany.com
Genumark is a family run business that operates with family values. We believe it is important to develop and enrich our communities to help improve lives. We have the pleasure of working across this big country, an area that covers several traditional territories, including the Mississaugas of the Credit at our Toronto headquarters.
It is in that spirit of community, and in partnership with Indigenous owned & operated Birch Bark Coffee Company, Genumark is proud to offer OUR SPIRIT, a very special blend of coffee in recognition of Red Dress Day, leveraging both our resources, and our network of like-minded clients to support a cause that is close to our hearts. Proceeds from the sale of OUR SPIRIT go to the Carrier Sekani Family Services’ Highway of Tears Project.
The Carrier Sekani Family Services organization (CSFS) has been a holistic health and wellness provider for the Carrier and Sekani people in North Central British Columbia for over 25 years. The organization was created to reassert First Nations control of justice, health, social and family services, all of which have suffered through the process of colonization.
Their staff work together across various disciplines to provide the best possible holistic wellness services to First Nations people in Carrier and Sekani territory. All of their programs are built on a strong cultural foundation, uniquely blended with leading evidence-based approaches.
CSFS’s Highway Of Tears Project is dedicated to honouring the lives and memories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls from the 724 kilometre length of British Columbia’s Highway 16 – now commonly referred to as the Highway of Tears.
In 2006, CSFS took part in a symposium to raise public awareness and create a call for action. The resulting Highway of Tears Symposium Recommendations Report includes 33 recommendations covering four key areas: Victim Prevention, Emergency Readiness, Victim Family Support and Community Development. We encourage you to read the report here.
On May 5th, 2022 – Red Dress Day – CSFS will be hosting a memorial service and Highway of Tears commemorative marker blessing, inviting the families of victims, communities from along the highway, government officials and all 52 BC Chiefs to attend. They have asked Birch Bark Coffee Company’s founder, Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow, to speak at the event.
On behalf of all involved, thank you for joining us in supporting Red Dress Day.
Enjoy your cup of coffee!
For more information on branding + order quantity check out this flipbook.
