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The alarming rates of violence against Native women reflect broader patterns of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking. In response, grassroots movements have lifted May 5th as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives. The date honors the memory of Hanna Harris (Northern Cheyenne), who was murdered in 2013. Native families, advocates and Tribal Nations have continued to demand justice, organizing community searches, justice marches and press conferences to hold governments accountable. Nearly half of all Indigenous women have experienced domestic violence, emphasizing the need for sustained support and services for survivors.
The continued violence against Indigenous women and relatives is an attack on the sacredness of life itself. It tears apart families, fractures communities and erases futures. If we do not challenge these systems, we allow them to persist.
How can we leverage our own privilege, resources and platforms to center Indigenous voices and experiences? Where is God calling us to act and how do we live out our faith in this work?
This message is excerpted from “We Stand for Her, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” by Prairie Rose Seminole, a 2025 resource of the Women of the ELCA. Today is Cinco de Mayo. Today is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).