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- By Native News Online Staff
MMIP. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced today it will launch a new print and digital awareness campaign to commemorate the upcoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day on May 5.
The campaign’s flight begins today and will run through May 9 in Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, and Wisconsin through a digital campaign and through print ads in local and national Native American publications.
The goal of the ads is to raise awareness, honoring the victims and their families, and reaffirming Democrats’ commitment to working with tribal nations and Native communities to advance justice and safety.
“On Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, we acknowledge the tragic injustices that Native families have faced throughout history and continue to face to this day. We are committed to working together to address the alarming rates of missing and murdered Indigenous people in this country,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said.
“Throughout their first term in office, the Biden-Harris administration has made progress in their promise to ensure that every case of a missing or murdered Indigenous person is met with swift, effective action. This includes a new unit in the Department of the Interior, working to speed up investigations and bring families the closure they deserve. President Biden and Vice President Harris are dedicated to helping Indigenous communities and ensuring they have the resources necessary to keep Native communities safe.”
“Delivering justice for our murdered or missing Indigenous relatives continues to be a core priority for Democrats and the DNC Native Caucus,” said DNC Native Caucus Chair Clara Pratte (Navajo). “Our hearts on this day and every day are with those affected by the MMIP epidemic, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to support tribal communities grappling with this epidemic and advance the welfare and safety of Native peoples.”
Under the Biden-Harris administration, federal agencies have been directed to work to improve public safety and criminal justice for Native Americans and to address the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous people. Additionally, the administratioin formed the Missing & Murdered Unit (MMU) within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) to provide leadership and direction for cross-departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Fullfilling a 2020 campaign promise, the Biden-Harris administration also reinstated and convened three White House Tribal Nations Summits to strengthen Nation-to-Nation relationships and engage with tribal leaders on important issues facing tribal communities.
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