Missing Indigenous Sisters Memorial
Attention must be drawn to the killing and disappearance of the women and girls who belong to our Native American peoples. As of 2016, the US National Crime Information Center has reported 5,712 cases of missing American Indigenous women and girls, however, the U.S Department of Justice missing persons’ database has only reported 116 of these cases.
As it has been for them throughout American history they have no safe haven. Their lives are taken, by non-Native people, on their own land and home and from their own land they are abducted and trafficked in alarming numbers never to return. Those rare individuals who escape their imprisonment return as mere shadows of themselves, and suffer severe physical and emotional disabilities for the rest of their lives.
American Indians have suffered at our hands since our invasion of their lands and yet still stand proud against our shameless attempts to annihilate them. It is true, that diminished status, lack of safety and inopportunity is an issue for all women everywhere; they all deserve our full attention. The need is for equal concern. Over generations, our native peoples have persevered against all odds, establishing a mature voice in our questionable system of advocacy and yet the genocide continues. At long last we must wage a solid and affirmative struggle for lives, health and well-being. They deserve not just to survive but to thrive and not only for theirs, but also for our children.