The Saugeen First Nation Public Library (SFNPL) has partnered with the Bruce County Public Library (BCPL) and the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre (BCM&CC) to teach the community about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Melissa Root from the SFNPL spearheaded the project. A total of 20 ribbon skirts were created, all telling a different story. For the BCPL, it was an easy decision to partner with them on the project.
"The Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre had a display last year of a ribbon skirt made by Melissa, made to recognize the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls," said Brooke McLean, director of library services at BCPL. "The museum and Bruce County Public Library frequently work together on partnerships and programming, so we chatted and connected with Melissa Root."
Root offered to have skirts sewn for all 17 BCPL branches.
"I think it's really hard to move forward and work towards improving when addressing issues like violence and murder of Indigenous women and girls without recognizing what an awful situation it is," said McLean. "I think libraries have a role to play in terms of educating the community and inviting people to learn. Libraries are welcoming spaces for everyone."
The skirts will be on display at your closest library branch or at the Bruce County Museum. They will be shown throughout May and June.