For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 5, 2022
Contact: Morgan Dick, mdick@azdem.org
 

ADP Statement On National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day
 

PHOENIX – Today we recognize National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day and the ongoing crisis that Native nations face in solving these cases. The data tells a story of injustice: homicide is the third leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls ages 10 to 24, and 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. Our Nation has failed to give Native nations the support they need, and as a result, families have mourned over empty graves with no answers as to what happened to their loved ones. The Arizona Democratic Party recommits itself to changing this injustice and working with our Native partners to address this crisis.  

“My own grandfather went missing from a New Deal worksite in Yellowstone National Park in 1933, and my family did not find his remains until 2005,” said Representative Jennifer Jermaine. “No family should go 71 years without knowing what happened to their loved one. And that is why we do this work. That is why we are pushing forward and making change.” 

“For decades, far too many Native families have had the experience of losing a loved one and not getting any answers,” said April Ignacio, Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party Native American Caucus. “The numbers I see are unacceptable, and while as a country we have taken steps in the right direction, there is still much more to do until these families are brought the justice they deserve.”

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