Red Shawl Day

The Red Shawl Day Project at Grand Teton National Park is a poignant annual initiative dedicated to raising awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and children. As the concept developer, I envisioned the powerful visual of draping the park's iconic south boundary sign with a red shawl to symbolize this critical issue.

My role extended to comprehensively designing the interpretive elements for this project. I designed the wayside exhibit installed near the sign, providing visitors with crucial context and statistics about the disproportionate violence faced by American Indian and Alaska Native women. Additionally, I created the social media graphics that accompany the park's annual posts, ensuring a consistent and impactful message across digital platforms to amplify awareness and encourage public engagement. Each year, I am also responsible for installing the red shawl on the park sign, a solemn act that transforms a park landmark into a powerful symbol of remembrance and advocacy.

This project serves as a vital platform to bring attention to the horrifying acts of violence committed against Indigenous peoples, particularly women and children, highlighting that American Indian and Alaska Native women are missing and murdered at a rate more than 10 times above the national average. Through these interpretive efforts, we encourage visitors to reflect on the meaning of Red Shawl Day, join the conversation, support affected families, and learn more about this urgent humanitarian crisis.

In recent years other parks have began this traditional remembrance by draping their park signs with a red shawl.