Restoration Magazine

A Call to Action to Declare May 5, 2018 a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls

Photo courtesy of Jessica Karin Photography

In 2017, in response to the death of Roylynn Rides Horse at the Crow Reservation in June 2016, and the murder of Hanna Harris at the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in 2013, the Montana Congressional Delegation led the way for passage of a Senate resolution declaring May 5, the birthday of Hanna Harris, as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.

Hanna Harris was 21 years old when she went missing on July 4, 2013. Due to the inadequate response of the justice system, her family and friends searched for Hanna. The community led a march for justice for Hanna and other unresolved murders of American Indian women.

Since May 5, 2017, numerous Native women have disappeared and many have been murdered. Turning our grief to action, NIWRC strongly supports and calls upon Congress to address the inadequate response of the criminal justice systems that fail Native women. The issues surrounding missing and murdered Native women must be brought into the public’s awareness to increase accountability of the justice systems.

A National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls will help shed light on the countless tragedies involving our Native sisters. We are calling on all those concerned for the safety of Native women to organize at the local, tribal, state, national, and international levels to support a 2018 National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. Native women need action now.

Join us to tell Congress enough is enough.

Now is the time for action!

Lucy Simpson, Executive Director, NIWRC

Cherrah Giles, Board Chair, NIWRC

 

#MMIWG Online Resources

  • NIWRC #MMIW Community Advocacy Toolkit: Restoration, June 2017: https://goo.gl/qMlQk8
  • NIWRC & Indian Law Resource Center’s Hill Briefing Creating Awareness on Missing and Murdered American Indian and Alaska Native Women: https://goo.gl/5bqA7B
  • National Day of Awareness MMIW, Senate Resolution (S. Res. 60): https://goo.gl/3mtBN7
  • NIWRC on Native American Calling’s The ongoing tragedy of missing Native American women: http://bit.ly/2EWWr6H
  • The Office of Justice Program’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs): https://namus.gov/