GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Native Americans across the country, including here in West Michigan, are raising awareness about violence toward Indigenous people. They're hoping to make their voices heard to get justice for thousands of families.
Friday is National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, and there's a march to recognize it Friday afternoon.
It's just one of the ways we can all show our support for a problem that has been happening for centuries and needs to end now.
According to the Department of Justice, Indigenous women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average. They say four out of five indigenous women will experience violence in their lifetime, and there are more than 4,000 unsolved cases of missing Indigenous persons.
Some consider these numbers low because many incidents go unreported.
Organizers of Friday's march say we have a long way to go in the fight for justice.
"There's awareness, there's advocacy, there's activism, we need allies in this fight," said Melissa Pope, Chief Judge of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court. "We need other people to say, across the board, yes, Indigenous people are important. And we are going to try to stop this epidemic of violence of human trafficking and of missing and murdered Indigenous people."
If you know an Indigenous person that needs help, say something. You can contact one of the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan. You can find a list at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services website.
Friday's march is at Ah-Nab-Awen Park beginning at noon. Speakers will kick things off before the one-mile march through downtown Grand Rapids. All are welcome to attend and asked to wear red to honor those still missing.
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