FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 13, 2023
Annual MMIR: MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS RELATIVES EVENT AND MARCH
The Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC), in partnership with the Minneapolis American Indian Center; Indian Health Board of Minneapolis; Native American Community Development Institute & Make Voting A Tradition; Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center; East Phillips Improvement Coalition; and Little Earth Residents Association, will host the Annual MMIR: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Event and March on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at East Phillips Community and Cultural Center in Minneapolis, MN. Speakers will begin at 11am with the March beginning at noon.
“After three long years, we are excited to take to the streets and raise awareness, celebrate our successes, bring light to the stories, and continue pushing for justice for our missing and murdered Indigenous relatives,” says MIWSAC Executive Director, Nicole Matthews.
Indigenous women, girls, men, boys, LGBQI/Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender non-conforming people continue to be targeted for murder, abduction, and go missing across Minnesota’s urban, rural and reservation populations, disappearing at alarming rates with very little public visibility or justice. “Analysis by the Urban Indian Health Institute suggests that approximately three quarters of MMIW cases are never reported in the local, state, or national media. For cases that are reported, the language used to describe the victim or crime may reinforce stereotypes and stigma of Indigenous women…” (Find the full Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force Report at: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/Documents/missing-murdered-indigenous-women-task-force-report.pdf)
“Native women, girls, and our Two-Spirit relatives deserve to be seen, heard, valued, believed, and protected,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “I am proud of our Administration’s partnership with tribes, survivors and their families, and community to establish the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office, and I will continue to stand with our people to prevent and end the cycles of violence facing our relatives.”
Find details of the event at https://fb.me/e/2dQWnMxWp
Speakers to include: Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Senator Mary K. Kunesh, Representative Heather Keeler, Ruth Buffalo, Sharon Day, local community speakers and youth, and more!
Media Contact: Executive Director, Nicole Matthews: communications@miwsac.org or 612-618-6068
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Founded in 2001, the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition is a 501(c)3 statewide tribal coalition and national technical assistance provider on sexual assault and sex trafficking. Find us at www.miwsac.org, Facebook, and Instagram
Community Collaborators:
East Phillips Improvement Coalition: www.eastphillips-epic.com
Indian Health Board: www.indianhealthboard.com
Little Earth Residents Association: www.littleearth.org
Make Voting A Tradition: www.nacdi.org/make-voting-a-tradition
Minneapolis American Indian Center: www.maicnet.org
Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center: www.miwrc.org
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition: www.miwsac.org
Native American Community Development Institute: www.nacdi.org