The NIWRC Honors International Women’s Day 2019
Featured image for NRCDV's annual celebration of International Women's Day (IWD)."The Silenced Sister" by Cody Hammer, member of the Cherokee Nation and descendant of the Muskogee Creek Nation.
This International Women’s Day, the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) partner to honor the survival and resiliency of our Indigenous sisters, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and aunties, despite enduring generations of forced colonization and genocide. Homicide is a leading cause of death for Native women, and compared to their white counterparts Native women are five times as likely to have experienced physical violence by a non-Native intimate partner.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) continues to be a serious crisis within the United States. Together, we call for prayer and healing in response to this violence, but we also demand meaningful legislative reforms that remove barriers to safety for Indian women by recognizing and strengthening the sovereign ability of all tribal nations to protect Indian women and their children.
NIWRC and NRCDV join as allies, both Native and non-Native, as relatives, to envision a return to Indigenous values in the United States. We thank the families of MMIWG victims that advocate for their loved ones, as well as the tireless advocates and allies that continue the hard and meaningful work to provide safety to Native women. We join together to call upon the United States and its people to remember that women are sacred and must be treated with dignity and respect.
Cody Hammer (Cherokee/Muskogee) MMIW Artwork Chosen for the International Women’s Day 2019 Postcard
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day of recognition and celebration, marking the achievements of women and inspiring action to achieve greater gender equality and justice. The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, celebrates IWD each year by commissioning or purchasing a piece of artwork that honors the struggles and successes that we face. In collaboration with the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, in 2019, we are highlighting “The Silenced Sister” by Cody Hammer, member of the Cherokee Nation and descendant of the Muskogee Creek Nation. Hammer’s artwork was chosen from 41 entries and 35 artists that submitted.
“I care deeply about this topic as a father, son, and husband of Indigenous women. Bringing awareness to these cases and legislation means that my daughters might have a safer future. A future where they aren’t scared of being taken or find out that someone they care for has been taken. MMIWG is the reason why I protect my family to the best of my abilities and advocate for the fallen sisters that can’t advocate for themselves.” – Cody Hammer
- For more on the artist, please visit him on Facebook at Reduced Lunch Photography or Instagram at The Cody Hammer.
- In addition, this year the NRCDV Radio also released a podcast featuring Cody Hammer for IWD entitled International Women’s Day 2019: Honoring our Indigenous Sisters.
Batey Girls Donates 10% of Sovereignty Bracelet Sales to the NIWRC Beginning on International Women’s Day
The Sovereignty bracelet is Batey Girls vision to place a wearable symbolic reminder throughout the world while also taking action and raising money for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, 10% of sales will be donated to NIWRC. Every time someone wears the bracelet, they are standing in solidarity with the Native community and saying to our women, “You are not invisible. I see you. YOU MATTER.”
Batey Girls was established by the nonprofit organization; Batey Rehab Project, to provide economic opportunities for women and girls at risk of sex trafficking and domestic violence in the Dominican Republic. Our program was inspired by the true story of a nonprofit founder who witnessed parents selling their teenage daughters for sex. This program was created by the women and girls of Batey Milton providing an opportunity to begin new lives, and break free from the cycle of poverty. We have created a jewelry brand that you can be proud to wear, knowing that you are part of our mission to empower women and girls both internationally and here in the USA.
