Today I Wear Red: First National Day of Awareness
On May 5th, Native women and allies across the United States and internationally organized to take action through numerous walks and post individual statements on Facebook, Twitter, and websites. The actions culminated a two-year organizing effort joined by more than 200 organizations to create a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
“Resolution 60 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on May 3, two days before the day chosen as the National Day of Awareness in the United States. May 5th was selected by the Montana delegation because it is the birthday of Hanna Harris who went missing in 2013 on the fourth of July weekend here in Lame Deer,” said Lucy Simpson, NIWRC Executive Director. “We are excited at the tremendous response to honor missing and murdered Native women and girls, the increased awareness, and organizing taking place.”
Images of women wearing red, red dresses hanging at the front of homes and offices, and various art installations acknowledged the first National Day of Awareness for missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
“The following hashtags garnered well over 2 million impressions by midnight of the first National Day of Awareness,” said Rebecca Balog, NIWRC staff member. “#MMIWG and #NationalDayofAwareness were used nationally and internationally to make statements of awareness of the crisis we face as Native women. Hundreds of family members posted their own photos wearing red on May 5th, sharing stories of their missing (and oftentimes murdered) grandmothers, mothers, aunties, sisters, nieces, cousins, or friends. The participation was overwhelming. Among the many participants who sent messages of thanks on this day, one wrote, “Thank you for bringing this issue to light. It’s never easy to talk about or accept, but knowing there are others like us makes me feel a lot less alone.”
