Madison, Wis. – Today, May 5th is the National Day of Awareness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement to end the endemic of violence against Indigenous people. Waking Women Healing Institute, Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, Wisconsin MMIW Task Force, Maeqtekuahkihkiw Metaemohsak – Woodland Women, and Wisconsin Women’s Council are working in collaboration with families and survivors in this heart work to support and stand with them in healing by holding a MMIWG Day of Awareness event on Monday, May 5th at the State Capitol, State Street Side. Speakers include survivors and families.
Media, public officials, and the general public are invited to join us: Monday, May 5, 2025 12:00-4:00 p.m. Outside the State Capitol (at the State Street steps) Madison, WI
12:00 – Gather, Prayer, Song
12:15 – Speakers, Families, Survivors
3:15 Wrap Red Around the Capitol
3:45 Waewaenen, Send off, Song
NOTE: The amplified speaking portion will conclude at 1:30 p.m.
The MMIWG Day of Awareness event is an opportunity to learn and hear testimony from survivors, families, and loved ones about the impact of the MMIWG endemic. “The love we have for our families is also the love we have for our communities” said Rachel Fernandez of Maeqtekuahkihkiw Metaemohsak – Woodland Women and a member of the Women’s Council. “We all have a responsibility to create change in order to ensure safety and justice for all relatives.”
This event promotes support and healing by bringing awareness and testimony to the truths of Indigenous people and the violence Native women and girls experience. Violence against Native women and girls is an under-reported problem in Wisconsin, and throughout the U.S., and cases are often misclassified or there is confusion about jurisdiction. Accurate data protocols are needed to improve data collection and tracking information. The MMIWG Day of Awareness sheds light on these issues and supports the ongoing efforts to improve the response of social service organizations, examine the roles federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions play, and improve and implement robust data collection and reporting methods.
