Call for action at Madison rally for missing and murdered Indigenous women

WUWM 89.7 FM | By Susan Bence

Published May 6, 2022 at 7:53 AM CDT

woman speaking into microphone — Menominee Tribe member Rachel Fernandez welcomed the crowd outside the state Capitol to honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Wisconsin tribal members and officials gathered to honor the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls Thursday.

The somber event on the steps of the state Capitol started with drumming and singing as people gathered to commemorate the national day of awareness.

A somber musical tribute to lost and missing women and girls on the steps of the state capitol.

The designation came to life with a 2017 U.S. Senate resolution. It grew out of tragedy years earlier in Montana.

In 2013, then 21-year-old Hanna Harris, a young mother and a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was reported missing. Soon after she was found dead.

The Senate resolution states, “Hanna Harris was determined to have been raped and murdered. ... The case of Hanna Harris is an example of many similar cases.”

Shannon Holsey told the crowd in Madison murders continue at an alarming rate across the country.

READ: 'No More Stolen Sisters' highlights the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians tribal council president Shannon Holsey wore red at the Thursday event. The color represents the missing and murdered indigenous girls and women who too often have been forgotten. — Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians tribal council president Shannon Holsey wore red at the Thursday event. The color represents the missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women who too often have been forgotten.

Holsey, tribal council president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians and member of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force, said everyone must join in a united call for action.

“To help the groundswell of our grassroots movement to hold all systems and sectors of our society accountable, together we call for prayer and healing to the families in response to the violence. But we also demand meaningful legislation reform in strengthening our sovereign ability of all tribal nations to protect Indian women, our relatives and our children," she said.

Menominee Tribe member and executive director of Maeqtekuahkihkiw Metaemohsak, Inc. Woodland Women Rachel Fernandez then invited families and survivors to share their stories, which media were asked not to record. “If you want to ask questions, you ask them afterward,” she added.

The DOJ task force on which both Fernandez and Holsey serve was formed in 2020. The group continues to meet with the goal of addressing the factors that contribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women in Wisconsin.

Editor’s note: A portion of the audio is from WisconsinEye.