Upcoming marches and events honor, remember missing and murdered Indigenous relatives

For over a decade, Indigenous communities across Minnesota have gathered on Feb. 14 to bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.

Feb. 14th is marked as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Day of Remembrance. The day brings awareness to the epidemic of Indigenous people who have gone missing or have been murdered in acts of violence.

“On this day we honor the names of those whose absence is felt every day, whose names we carry in our hearts. They are not statistics, they are our relatives and their stories will not be forgotten,” said Ana Negrete, community planner for the state’s MMIR office, in a news release.

According to the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office, Indigenous people experience violence or go missing at higher rates than other demographic groups in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, or MIWSAC, and several other Indigenous-led organizations will lead the march in Minneapolis.

“This year’s march comes at a very troubling time that has threatened the safety and wellbeing of our communities. It is also a time of incredible resistance and collective action in our city and our state. We must hold onto that collective action and resistance, beyond this moment in time, because all of our relatives deserve to be safe,” MIWSAC CEO Nicole Matthews shared in the release.

As immigration enforcement surged in Minneapolis, reports of Indigenous people being detained raised concerns regarding the safety of community members. In response to these concerns, members of the Indigenous community have been stepping up to share resources and show support.

Other Indigenous community members have been leading demonstrations in response to immigration enforcement activity.

“Our prayers and medicines, our collective actions of solidarity, offer protection at a time when it is needed most. We march to honor the families that have been impacted, to increase visibility of MMIR and to call on legislators and policy makers to be accountable to our communities,” Matthews said.

Other annual marches continuing this year will take place in Bemidji and Duluth.

Rene Ann Goodrich is the founder of Native Lives Matter Coalition, a coalition of Indigenous-led groups bringing awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.

"We are directly impacted by violence at a disproportionate rate,” Goodrich said.

The coalition is among several organizations in the Duluth region raising awareness.

Goodrich said alongside the memorial march, other gatherings throughout the day will include a round dance and a memorial fire. Information and updates regarding the local Gaagige- Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Fund will also be shared at the event.

In 2022, the Native Lives Matter Coalition and the Indigenous-led organization Mending the Sacred Hoop established a reward fund, “Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag.” The name means “they will be remembered forever” in the Ojibwe language.

The fund was established with the city of Duluth in response to the 2015 disappearance of Sheila St. Clair, an Indigenous woman who went missing from the area. The state’s MMIR Office has also established a statewide Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Fund.

Goodrich said the gatherings are open to all community members.

“We're asking our allies to come out and walk, because this is a time of healing. Come walk with your Indigenous relatives,” Goodrich said.

Events

Twin Cities:

Community Art Event, Minneapolis

• Feb. 13, 2-7 p.m., Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center

• Community is invited to create posters and signage in advance of this year’s MMIR march in Minneapolis.

MMIRW Art Event, Minneapolis

• Feb. 13, 12-6 p.m., Davis Center

• Minneapolis Public Schools American Indian Education program invites students, families and community members for screen printing, button making and face painting.

MMIR March, Minneapolis

• Feb. 14, 11 a.m., Minneapolis American Indian Center

• The annual march honoring missing and murdered Indigenous relatives will begin at the Minneapolis American Indian Center, followed by a one-mile march through the south Minneapolis neighborhood. The march is a collaboration among several Indigenous-led organizations.

Greater Minnesota:

MMIR March, Bemidji

• Feb. 14, 12 p.m., Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues

• Community will gather at Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues near Bemidji’s tourist information center. The march is sponsored by the local Indigenous-led organization MMIW218.

11th Annual Memorial March, Duluth

• Feb. 14, 10 a.m., Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center

• The event will begin at the American Indian Community Housing’s Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center, followed by a memorial march at 2:30 p.m. through downtown Duluth to Building for Women at 32 East First St. A memorial fire will be held after the march at the Building for Women with a light meal. The city of Duluth will light the Enger Tower through Saturday night.

Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.    

• Minneapolis-based Native American publication turns to its next chapter
• Minnesota genealogists, historians raise alarm about planned closure of Chicago National Archives
• The Mississippi River: A history of conflict, connection and change
• Native entrepreneur continues to build EV charging stations on tribal land across the Midwest