Maykh,
This morning, the Southern Ute Tribal Council convened to approve the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Honorary Proclamation declaring today, May 5, 2022 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Awareness Day. MMIR Advocate, Ms. Daisy Bluestar was present in Chambers for the approval. Tribal leadership thanked Ms. Bluestar and all those who volunteer and fight to bring awareness and justice to tribal communities.
Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Awareness Day
May 5, 2022
WHEREAS, Indigenous communities in the United States have faced unprecedented rates of violence throughout history and continue to experience this rate of violence today; and
WHEREAS, Indian Country has thousands of unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives with cases continuing to rise; and
WHEREAS, 83 percent of Indigenous people have or will experience some form of violence in their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Indigenous women and girls face the possibility of being murdered at ten times the rate of all other ethnicities; and
WHEREAS, This crisis in Indian Country is the result of undervaluing Indigenous lives, underfunding, inaccurate reporting, misidentification, lack of media coverage, and jurisdictional challenges; and
WHEREAS, The Secretary of the Interior formed the Missing & Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services to address the lack of resources and the failure to prioritize the cases of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives in tribal communities; and
WHEREAS, The Southern Ute Indian Tribe has provided support for the creation of an Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives in the State of Colorado for the safety of our tribal community; and
WHEREAS, The Southern Ute Indian Tribe remains committed to addressing this crisis and provide protection for all Indigenous people who reside on or visit the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.
NOW, THEREFORE, in recognition of the foregoing, the Council of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe does hereby proclaim the 5th of May, as
MISSING & MURDERED INDIGENOUS RELATIVES AWARENESS DAY
This Proclamation was approved and adopted this 5th day of May 2022.
Signed by Chairman Melvin J. Baker
