To mark Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, advocates and families of missing or murdered people gathered at the Oklahoma state Capitol on Friday to honor their loved ones and celebrate recent legislation focused on addressing missing and murdered Indigenous people in the state.
There are nearly 23,000 people reported missing from tribal lands, and 700 currently reported missing from Oklahoma, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. According to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the murder rate for women living on reservations is 10 times higher than the national average, and murder is the third leading cause of death among Indigenous women.
Oklahoma ranks 10th in the nation for missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Carmen Harvie, MMIP state chapter president, said her niece was murdered in McAllister in 2016, and her case recently went cold. Harvie said she hopes to push for law enforcement agencies to look into the cold cases of Indigenous missing and murdered people especially because the majority go unsolved.
Harvie has worked with MMIP for the last eight years, and during that time she has collaborated with law enforcement agencies on missing and murdered cases and is a member of the Not Invisible Act Commission.
The Not Invisible Act was signed into law in October 2019 and aims to increase coordination between governments and law enforcement agencies to identify and combat violent crime within “Indian lands and of Indians.” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland established the commission shortly after the law’s passage and it is composed of law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, families of missing and murdered people and survivors.
A moment of silence is done in honor of missing or murdered Indigenous persons during the Oklahoma MMIP chapter's day of awareness event on May 5.
Cindy Famera, vice chair for Oklahoma’s MMIP state chapter, said Indigenous women are especially targeted in violent crimes, and she explained that women are the backbone of families and cultures, so more needs to be done to support them.
“We have an epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women,” Famera said. “I stand up for those women. I've been taught, I've been told, I've stated and I teach that women are medicine.”
Several advocates and government representatives presented an update on current legislation, including Brenda Golden, an attorney, who presented and explained House Bill 1077, also known as the Kasey Alert Act.
Approved by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday, Kasey Alerts will go into effect in November and will send out alerts for missing people between the ages of 18 and 59, Golden said. These alerts were first presented to the Oklahoma Legislature three years ago with Red Alerts, the next year in Aubrey alerts and finally this year as Kasey Alerts in honor of Kasey Russell, a Cherokee Nation citizen who was killed near the Seminole Casino in 2016. Golden helped write the three pieces of legislation.
The drum circle sings and drums while the memorial walk begins during the National MMIP Awareness Day event on May 5.
State Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-Oklahoma City) also spoke at the event on Friday. He said several pieces of legislation over the past few years, such as Kasey Alerts and Ida’s Law, have left an impact on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people, but there is progress to be made.
“There's still a lot of work to do,” Dollens said. “But the progress that we have made is because of all of you, working with you on these important issues has been the highlight of my time in the Legislature. What you're doing is making a difference.”
Ida’s Law was signed by Stitt in April 2021 and is named after Ida Beard, a mother of four, who went missing in 2015. Ida’s Law creates a Liaison Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and serves families to help them navigate the various agencies, jurisdictions and help find answers about their loved ones.
During the event, advocates and community members danced, sang and met with various organizations, such as search and rescue teams, various MMIP chapters and a representative from the OSBI.
Family and friends prepare to release butterflies in honor of their loved ones during the National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day on May 5.
Donned in red shirts and dresses, advocates and community members released butterflies during the event to commemorate the lives of Indigenous people who were missing or murdered.
Harvie told those gathered at the Capitol to remember that they are not invisible and their lives and the lives of their loved ones matter.
“The most important thing I wanted to share with you all is do not be invisible,” Harvie said. “Be visible. Let your voices be heard.”
This story was edited by Alexia Aston. Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
