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Dozens of people gathered in the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock Wednesday wearing red and holding signs in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Several families gathered at the event wearing shirts and carrying signs dedicated to their loved ones who either went missing or were murdered. Some those signs were seeking justice for Laverda Sorrell, Ariel Begay and Tasha Lewis.
A vigil and other events drew people to the state Capitol in Phoenix on Wednesday evening. Phoenix Indian Center CEO Patricia Hibbeler, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said the event was to raise awareness and remember loved ones.
• May 6, 2021
Communities, Advocates Commemorate Missing And Murdered Indigenous People
Advocacy groups and community members gathered across the state and country Wednesday to commemorate Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and to call for preventative action.
“With increased funding, resources, and partnerships, we will be better equipped to enforce laws and deter crimes committed against our Indigenous mothers, sisters, daughters, and LGBTQ community, said Navajo Nation First Lady Phefelia Nez.
At a panel hosted by Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives, community members shared their stories and discussed the case of Jamie Yazzie, a 33-year-old nursing assistant who was last seen on June, 2019 in Pinon, Arizona. The FBI is seeking information related to Yazzie and last month offered a $5,000 reward.
Known and not forgotten
âNative women and men still struggle from the effects of colonization, marginalization and assimilation and our shared traumaâ #MMIWG
Author:
May 5, 2021
Dennis Willard, of Bellevue, Wash., carries a sign that reads Where Is She as he marches in support of missing and murdered Indigenous women during a rally to mark Indigenous Peoples Day in downtown Seattle, Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
âNative women and men still struggle from the effects of colonization, marginalization and assimilation and our shared traumaâ #MMIWG
Vincent Schilling
Hanna Harris would have been 29 years old on May 5.
In 2013, the Northern Cheyenne woman went missing, was murdered, and found on the tribe’s reservation. Back then she was 21 with a 10-month-old
Across the United States, thousands of Indigenous women and girls have been reported missing or murdered. On some reservations, this population faces a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, with 84% of Native American and Alaska Native women approximately 1.5 million women experiencing some form of violence during their lifetime. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, murder is the third leading cause of death among Native women between the ages of 15 and 24.
There hasn’t been enough reported data on the missing women and girls, making it difficult to investigate such cases, says Shaandiin Parrish, Miss Navajo Nation since September 2019. The reports that do exist don’t adequately represent the extent of the missing and murdered population. Some databases like the one run by the Indigenous-led research group Sovereign Bodies Institute have documented around 2,300 missing and murdered individuals. Another study by the Urban Indian He
Flagstaff High School Adviser Receives National Recognition
An advisor at Flagstaff High School has received a prestigious Profile in Courage Award. Darrell Marks serves as the Native American academic advisor at FHS. He’s one of several people to receive the award this year along with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Wittmer and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. The award is organized by the John F. Kennedy Foundation and acknowledges courage and leadership. Marks was recognized for his service in coordinating food and supply deliveries to Navajo and Hopi households. He spoke with KNAU last fall about the difficulties students face taking online classes on tribal lands.