Families, advocates mark day of awareness for Native victims
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - From Washington to American Southwest Indigenous communities, top government officials, family members, and advocates are gathering as part of a call to action to address the ongoing problem of violence against Indigenous women and children.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is commemorating the day Wednesday as female motorcyclists take to the streets in Phoenix and advocates use social media to raise awareness.
The rates of missing person cases in the American Indian and Alaska Native communities are disproportionate, alarming, and unacceptable. But I believe we are at an inflection point. We have a @POTUS @VP and an administration who see us. And we can’t turn back. #MMIP pic.twitter.com/RhMcgnqDtg
— Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) May 5, 2021
As part of the Washington ceremony, a red memorial shawl with the names of missing and slain Indigenous women was draped across a long table to remember the lives behind what Haaland called alarming and unacceptable statistics.
More names were added Wednesday.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Denver shared their initiative to help solve Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases in Colorado.
For the past few years, #FBI personnel have translated "Wanted" and "Seeking Information" posters into #Navajo to help solve Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons cases. #MMIP Learn more about this initiative here: https://t.co/crvlNnWK01.https://t.co/FHx4ZJcxDZ
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) May 5, 2021
Learn more about how translating "Wanted" and "Seeking Information" posters aim to reach a critical audience by clicking here.
In Colorado Springs, activists gathered to bring awareness to the violence against Indigenous women and girls. Participants marched from Acacia Park to City hall to a large mural downtown depicting an Indigenous woman.
The rally, put on by the Colorado Springs Indigenous Community and Haseya Advocate Program, was welcome to everyone in the community. Participants were invited to wear red, ribbon skirts, and to bring hand drums if possible.
Wednesday's demonstration was meant to bring attention to the issue and to help with the healing process for the Indigenous community.
"I think that it's important to remember that we are the original people of this land, and it's really important for people to recognize that we are unprotected in so many ways. More than 9,000 Indigenous women are missing, and that's not even, the numbers aren't correct, it's so underreported," said Dwanna McKay, a participant at the rally.
McKay said oftentimes when an Indigenous woman or girl goes missing, it's usually never investigated.
ABC News reports roughly 1,500 American Indian and Alaska Native missing persons have been recorded across the U.S. by the National Crime Information Center. However, activists say those numbers pale in comparison to the reality of the situation.
According to the Association on American Indian Affairs, Indigenous women are:
- 2.5 times more likely to experience violent crimes
- 2 times more likely to experience rape or sexual assault compared to all other races
- More than 4 in 5, or 84.3%, have experienced violence in their lifetime
To learn more, read resources from National Indigenous Women's Resource Center.
For the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center call 1-855-649-7299.
For the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women call 1-505-243-9199.
