MMIWG stands for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls. Beginning on April 29th and ending on May 5th, Gamma Alpha Omega recognizes the National Week of Action for MMIWG. The murder rate of Indigenous women alone is 10 times more than the national average. The rate for girls and Two-Spirit people is currently unknown. This is an international crisis extending from Canada through the United States and into Mexico that continues to increase in numbers and impact. Cases go unreported, women, girls, and Two-Spirit people remain missing, and there’s a lack in documentation of abuse.
We provide this memo to recognize those who remain missing and stand with the families still searching for their loved ones. As chapters of Gamma Alpha Omega, we encourage you all to get involved too. The US Cities with the highest numbers of MMIW cases include:
- Anchorage, AK
- Tucson, AZ
- Seattle, WA
- Tacoma, WA
- San Francisco, CA
- Omaha, NE
- Albuquerque, NM
- Salt Lake City, UT
Whether your city/state is listed above, we encourage you to take action in one of the following ways:
- Wear Red: On May 5th, we recognize and reflect the impact of this issue and call on our members to wear red with us. Join us in this month’s awareness event by wearing red with #MMIW #MMIWG and tag @gammaalphaomega on Instagram.
- Donate: You can also help by donating to one of these organizations:
- Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) USA: https://www.mmiwusa.org/
- Urban Indian Health Institute: https://www.uihi.org/
- Native Women’s Wilderness: https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/donate
- Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women: https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw
- National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center: https://www.niwrc.org/restoration-magazine/june-2020/mmiw-understanding-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-crisis
- Support Resolutions for May 5th National Day of Awareness for MMIWG: Sign on to support the Senate and House resolutions declaring May 5th as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
- Listen in on Webinars: We recommend registering for these webinars hosted by the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. Use the link listed below. https://www.niwrc.org/mmiwgnatlweek21
- Create a Display: Create a physical display that reflects the number of women, girls, and Two-Spirit people currently missing and include a few pieces of information about MMIW in your state and/or how to support organizations like MMIW USA. You can do this using red flags, cardstock, t-shirts, etc. You can display red shirts or dresses on a clothesline. You can create paper dresses out of cardstock and decorate a bulletin board on campus. Inspired by: The REDdress Project by Jaime Black, this activity is social distancing friendly and can be very impactful on campuses to raise awareness.
- Other ways to take action:
- Publicly declare Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Day on May 5 to help raise awareness
- Work with local Indigenous communities to hold awareness and community healing events
- Contact local legislators to lobby for a national MMIW database as well as law reforms to address the prevalence of violence against Indigenous women
- Support families with missing loved ones in their searches and other needs
- Speak up against violence against Indigenous people in your community
For questions about this memo or other ways to get involved, email nationalhq@gammaalphaomega.org
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Gamma Alpha Omega created the Advocacy Committee, comprised of collegiate and alumnae membership, to bring awareness to human rights issues in our communities, encourage civic engagement, develop programming, and increase our Sorority’s advocacy efforts in the areas identified in our Policy Handbook, including but not limited to Women’s Health, Cultural Diversity, and Mental Health. If you’re interested in serving on this committee, please email vice_president@gammaalphaomega.org
