2021 National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

There is an ongoing crisis of the "abduction and murder of Native women and girls."  According to the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, "the murder rate of Native women is more than ten times the national average on some reservations," and "these disappearances or murders are often connected to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking."  This week of action that begins April 29 culminates on May 5th because "May 5th is the birthday of 21-year-old Hanna Harris (Northern Cheyenne) who went missing and was found murdered on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in 2013."

A week of action is not enough to solve the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), but this week can serve as the first week of our beginning to seek justice alongside our Indigenous sisters and siblings.  The crisis of MMIWG spans intersectional injustices like racial injustice, gender injustice/gender-based violence, and more, and thus, requires an intersectional lens in seeking justice.  Let us join the communities of Native and Indigenous folks directly impacted, listen, and be present and in solidarity this week and beyond.  Take action this MMIWG Week of Action, and join the BWC Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM) on May 13 for a conversation with Dr. Casey Church about the impacts of COVID-19 and MMIWG on Native American Communities.