- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The Department of Justice (DOJ) this week launched a website to streamline information and resources related to open missing and murdered Indigenous persons cases.
The new page within the DOJ’s Tribal Justice and Safety website details the federal government’s increased efforts to address the disproportionately high rates of violence impacting Indigenous communities.
The website page allows visitors to quickly report or identify a missing person; view unsolved Indian Country cases: contact the office of tribal justice; and learn more about current initiatives and upcoming listening sessions.
Last year, President Biden issued a proclamation to declaring May 5, 2021 a day to “remember the Indigenous people who we have lost to murder and those who remain missing and commit to working with Tribal Nations to ensure any instance of a missing or murdered person is met with swift and effective action.”
Six months later, the President signed an executive order that calls for interagency cooperation in criminal justice and public safety systems addressing missing and murdered Indigenous peoples: the act directs the Departments of Justice, Interior, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security to work together with tribes.
Simultaneously, the Department Justice launched the Steering Committee to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, tasked with consultation with tribal leaders and stakeholders, with reviewing the Department’s current practices, and developing a comprehensive plan to strengthen the department’s work. That plan is slated to be submitted to the President in July 2022.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Photographs of the Homecoming of the Three Fires Powwow
Peggy Flanagan on Minnesota Shootings: "We can’t become intimidated by this act of terrorism.”
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
