MMIW 218 Hosts 2nd Annual Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Conference

May 5th is recognized as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Relatives. In Minnesota, Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people make up less than 1% of the state’s population while accounting for 10% of those who have gone missing in the state in 2024.

An organization in Bemidji known as MMIW 218 hosted a conference over the weekend to help spread awareness for missing Indigenous relatives and hopefully find ways to bring those loved ones home.

“This space is about addressing that,” explained MMIW 218 organizer Audrianna Goodwin. “Creating advocacy and education, awareness around all of those intersections of missing murdered Indigenous relatives because it’s so vast.”

The conference started at the Paul and Babe statues at Paul Bunyan Park. The group then marched 1.2 miles alongside one of the busiest roads in Bemidji and ended up at the Sanford Center.

“We march for our people that are missing and murdered,” said MMIW 218 organizer Valahlena Steeprock. “It kind of brings that healing sensation when we march; it brings that awareness to our community.”

Organizers then hosted a panel and asked the audience to answer some questions, like what they believed were reasons why Indigenous peoples experience violence at the rates they do. Among the replies: racism, historical trauma, and colonization.

“I wouldn’t say that I was surprised by some of the responses,” added Goodwin, “but I think it’s really important for people to engage in activities like that so you can start to draw those connections on racism, on stereotypes, because colonization has done such a great job of dehumanizing Indigenous peoples, and we’re here to say, that’s not who we are.”

Steeprock first joined MMIW 218 in 2019 to find answers for the families who have missing loved ones. Unfortunately, Steeprock didn’t think the situation would come close to her home. Her cousin, Nevaeh Kingbird, has been missing since October 2021.

“Someone had told me once like, ‘Oh, there’s no hope, she’s gone now. It’s been four years, why don’t you just let it go?'” Steeprock said. “I sit up at night thinking like, ‘I can’t just let it go. I have to find answers, I have to have hope.'”

Along with the march to start the conference, several Red Lake residents also participated in a 37-mile-long run starting from Red Lake, with the finish line being the conference at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Department and Bemidji Police Department had vehicles present along with the runners, and MMIW 218 organizers want to thank both departments for their support.