Several leaders in the Indigenous justice space are calling upon us to honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls all week, culminating in a National Day of Action on May 5.
There will be many avenues for you to participate in this week-long effort. Today, please start by telling the Senate to authorize the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (FVPSIA) and encouraging the Department of Justice to follow through with full implementation of Savanna’s Act.
FVPSIA has already passed through the House of Representatives but now needs Senate approval. The act would modify, expand, and reauthorize the Family Violence and Prevention Services program, which funds emergency shelters and assists victims of domestic violence. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants and cooperate with state and tribal domestic violence coalitions and community-based organizations to support prevention services.
Savanna’s Act is named for Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind. You may remember her tragic story — a rare case of an Indigenous woman victim making headlines. A citizen of Spirit Lake Nation, Savanna was murdered while eight months pregnant in 2017 at just 22 years old. The act named for her directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review, revise, and develop comprehensive law enforcement and justice protocols to address missing or murdered Native People.
I know firsthand how strong Native women are. We survive and thrive in tough conditions, we lead movements, and we raise the next generations to respect the sacred. But too many of us also end up murdered or simply disappear without a trace. I’m grateful we now have a Native U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, who knows these things, too, and has already taken steps toward solving this epidemic. But we must do more together. Please lend your hand.
Wopila tanka — thank you for fighting for Native women!
DeCora Hawk
Field Organizer
The Lakota People’s Law Project
P.S. Please take action on behalf of Indigenous women, right now. Tell your senators to authorize the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act and encourage the DOJ to follow through with full and thorough implementation of Savanna’s Act today.