Friend,

This week began with the first official national observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in what is now the United States.

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, let’s also recognize Indigenous work to stop the ongoing epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people (MMIWG2).

In some areas, Indigenous women are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than the national average. Research shows that more than 4 out of 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women experience violence in their lifetime, and that rate is likely higher for two spirit people.

This ongoing crisis is hidden—underreported in data and ignored by law enforcement and the media. This lack of attention means few resources to address the problem. It’s a continuation of our unjust colonial systems, which have exploited, dehumanized, and devalued Indigenous women and two spirit people for hundreds of years.

However, Indigenous-led organizations such as Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI) are fighting for justice and visibility. SBI is a non-profit dedicated to research that heals, empowers, and mobilizes Indigenous peoples to address and prevent gender and sexual violence.

Much of their work is survivor-led, including creating a central MMIWG2 database. This community-based research is possible because of the deep relationships SBI builds in communities. Holistically meeting people’s needs, SBI also provides direct services to survivors and to families of missing and murdered Indigenous people, such as:

• Financial assistance with rent, utilities, groceries, and more—including searches for missing persons, memorials, and funerals
• Media, legal, and policy advocacy, including support for marches and vigils and to push cases forward
• Referrals for legal representation and healthcare providers and emergency relocation for survivors fleeing abuse
• A 24/7 crisis line available via phone and text, as well as free teletherapy with Indigenous therapists and virtual art therapy circles

Please donate what you can today to fund Sovereign Bodies Institute. They’re doing essential work to prevent and heal from the violence that disproportionately targets Indigenous women and two spirit people.

Indigenous women and two spirit people are targeted for violence due to both their race and their gender identity. They go missing twice: first physically, and then in data and media coverage. And they’re often let down by our colonial criminal justice system.

For example, Sovereign Bodies Institute recently found that in California, just 9% of murder cases involving Indigenous women and girls were solved, compared to a statewide rate of over 60% for solving murders.

Let’s be clear about what’s happening here. Non-Native people do not value Indigenous people’s lives enough. Colonialism, racism, and sexism combine to dehumanize Indigenous people—particularly women—and enable ongoing genocide.

A 2021 report shows that Indigenous murder victims are less likely than white people to receive media coverage. In addition, media coverage of Indigenous people is more likely to blame victims or show them in a negative light.

That’s why we’re fundraising for Sovereign Bodies Institute, which shines a spotlight on this issue, and affirms that Indigenous people matter. The organization also fights for inclusion of two spirit people, honoring the gender diversity recognized in many pre-colonial Native American tribes.

Please donate to Sovereign Bodies Institute, to affirm that Indigenous women and two spirit people matter, and to push for justice and freedom from violence.

Thank you for all you do.

In solidarity,

Rashida

P.S. You can check out SBI’s reports, database, webinars, podcasts, and more at https://www.sovereign-bodies.org. And if you want to stay up-to-date, you can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.