The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center’s New Resources in Support of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center’s New Resources in Support of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women


The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) is providing new resources, including the 2019 Call to Action to support a National Day of Awareness for MMIWG, a MMIW Special Collections Resource Page, a MMIW Webinar scheduled on May 2nd, updated MMIW digital awareness cards and a slideshow encouraging tribal communities to wear red on May 5th to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

The NIWRC continues to support organizing efforts, from the grassroots to national level, to address the horrific ongoing violence committed against Native women and girls, particularly the reports of those missing and murdered. S. Res. 144 introduced by Senator Daines, and joined by Senators Tester, Hoeven, Rounds, Warren, Gardner, Crapo, Lankford, and Murkowski is a resolution designating May 5, 2019 as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.  The NIWRC not only calls for signatures in support of the resolution but also calls on the movement to join efforts to urge a House resolution.

The NIWRC continues 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. Gender-based violence against Native women and girls has been wrongfully normalized in this country since contact. Historically, rape of Native women was not considered a crime and continues to result in minimal response by the federal government. This lack of response increases the vulnerability of Native women and girls to predators and abusers.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls continues to be a serious crisis within the United States. “Together, we call for prayer and healing for the families in response to this violence,” said Lucy Simpson, Executive Director of the NIWRC.  “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.”

The NIWRC envisions a return to Indigenous values where women are recognized as sacred. We lift up our prayers for the families of MMIWG victims that tirelessly 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. 

TAKE ACTION! RESOURCES for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: