Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Day 2021

Activists have been marking May 5th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW, or MMIWG, or MMIWG2ST) day since 2017, and April 29-May 5th as the National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This year, President Biden released a proclamation of this day as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. This day is rooted in grassroots organizing by Native families, advocates, and Indigenous nations that expose systems-level causes of violence against Native women, girls, and 2 Spirit people, holds these systems accountable, and brings voice to the disparate rates of violence against Native women, girls, and 2 Spirit people.

Ending violence against and murder of Native women, girls, and 2 Spirit people is included in the work to prevent and end sexual and intimate partner violence. This includes interrogating how systems of oppression and colonialism create this violence and are upheld by the mainstream sexual and intimate partner violence movements. Sexual and intimate partner violence prevention practitioners can show their support for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Day a few different ways. Many are encouraging people to wear red today to bring awareness to the issue, and below is a list of organizations and their resources on turning awareness into action to protect the livelihood of Native women, girls, and 2 Spirit people.

• National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
  • Take Action During the 2021 National Week of Action for MMIWG
• StrongHearts Native Helpline
  • View their MMIW 2021 video here
• Indian Country Today’s article Known and Not Forgotten
• Understand the connections between oil pipelines, sexual violence, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirit people, and advocate in solidarity with Native advocates
• IllumiNative, a non-profit that challenges negative narratives about Native Nations and peoples and increases their visibility
• Strong Oak Lefebvre describes how Indigenous circle process are a key to violence prevention in a 2018 National Sexual Assault Conference workshop