Among the special guests on tonight’s Native News Online’s “Crisis in Indian Country: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” Facebook live stream will be Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who sent a video to discuss the epidemic spread.

The live stream will take place tonight, May 5, 2021 at 7 p.m. – EDT. The informative program coincides with “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, 2021.”
President Joe Biden in a White Proclamation said:
“On Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, we 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.”
The event will feature expert panelists who each bring their own unique perspectives and insights into the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous persons throughout Indian Country.
“Native News Online endeavors hard to provide current and accurate information across Indian Country. This live stream furthers our attempt to explore a very serious problem in Indian Country,” Levi Rickert, publisher and editor of Native News Online said. “We are excited with our slate of panelists who are working very hard every day to stop missing and murdered Indigenous persons in Indian Country.
Join us for this informative and timely one-hour conversation that discusses this vital issue.
Covid-19 Vaccinations in Indian Country will be co-hosted by Native News Online Publisher Levi Rickert (Potawatomi) and Managing Editor Kyle Edwards (Anishinaabe).
CRISIS IN INDIAN COUNTRY: MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN
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
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Photographs of the Homecoming of the Three Fires Powwow
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