On Wednesday, August 12th, America Walks will broadcast Part 2 in the Walking Towards Justice in Indian Country series, focused on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

In the United States, Native American women are more than twice as likely to experience violence than any other demographic. One in three Native women is sexually assaulted during her life, 67% of these attacks are perpetrated by non-Natives, and many of the abductions take place when the victim is walking along a highway. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls epidemic impacts First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities in Canada, as well as Native Americans.

Webinar participants will learn how the dark history of colonialization, complex jurisdictional issues, and racialized indifference have created the circumstances in which these crimes are regularly perpetrated and rarely prosecuted.  Panelists will include civil rights advocates, practitioners, and researchers, as well as U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-1), who introduced federal legislation last year to address this “silent crisis,” and author Jessica McDiarmid, who documented numerous personal stories in her book, “Highway of Tears.”

Audience members who are unfamiliar with Indigenous culture and governance are encouraged to review the first webinar in the series (Tribal Transportation Planning and Pedestrian Safety, broadcast on June 23rd, 2020) and the recommended reading materials (see below).