Forty percent of Montana's missing and murdered person's cases are Native American, even though Native Americans make up only six percent of Montana's population. Just in 2018, there were 54 cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. (statistics from Sovereign Bodies Institute)
Please join us for a panel discussion and documentary short on the crisis of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women.
Featuring clips from "When They Were Here" -- a documentary by Blackfeet/Shoshone filmmakers Ivan and Ivy MacDonald that elevates the stories and voices of Indigenous people who have been impacted by the crisis.
Our distinguished panel of Indigenous experts includes:
- Briana Lamb - member of the Aaniih (Gros Vente) tribe, longtime MMIW activist and policy maker, and Senator Tester's guest to this year's State of the Union Address
- Marita GrowingThunder Fogarty -member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux tribe, student at the University of Montana, founder of "Save Our Sisters" and organizer of the annual 80-mile March to Honor Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
- Lauren Small Rodriguez - member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, activist and organizer of the Vigil for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women in Missoula
- Tara Walker Lyons - member of the Blackfeet tribe, advocate for the prevention of childhood sexual abuse; "Tara's Law", created a comprehensive educational component for schools to teach about sexual abuse prevention and was signed by Gov. Bullock in 2017
- Shelly Fyant - Council Representative of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, supporter of a resolution by CSKT Council to create the first MMIW Task Force on any Montana reservation, advocate of food sovereignty for CSKT
There will be Native-made jewelry and t-shirts honoring MMIW for sale, with proceeds going to Sovereign Bodies Institute. We will also be collecting donations for the completion and promotion of the "When They Were Here" documentary.
We will be in room AT 139; doors open at 3:30 p.m.
Thank you to our sponsors: FVCC's Montana American Indian Scholars Program and Love Lives Here, an affiliate of the Montana Human Rights Network.
