National MMIW Awareness Day

National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Awareness Day was May 5th. It was established in 2017 to honor Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe who went missing in 2013. The day kicks off a Week of Action where advocates, such as the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC), encourage wearing red, attending marches, or hosting events to raise awareness. Red is the color worn to represent the lost, as it is believed to be the only color spirits see.

According to data from the National Institute of Justice and Indian Affairs, more than 4 in 5 (84.3%) American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. Murder is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women aged 10–24, with rates up to 10 times higher than the national average in some jurisdictions. Approximately 67% of assaults involve non-Indigenous perpetrators. Approximately 95% of cases identified by the Urban Indian Health Institute had not been covered by mainstream media. This is a national crisis.

I ask you all to wear red this week to honor our sisters who are missing or have been murdered. That is the very least we can do.

If you want to learn more check out the National Indigenous Womens Resorce Center at: https://www.niwrc.org/restoration-magazine/february-2020/national-day-awareness-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-may

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