National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize May 5, 2020 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Today, we recognize our nation's devastating history of colonization and the disproportionate effects for Native women. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed health care inequalities in our country, especially the health care available to Native communities. But we must be equally concerned about the number of Native women and girls that face incredible violence in this country every day. In the United States, Native women face tragically high rates of violence, sexual assault, and murder. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native women. These rates are ten times higher than the national average and far too often, families are left without answers.

I am a cosponsor of Savanna's Act, which will recognize Native women and make sure that their invisibility to law enforcement ends. The bill would create and improve procedures, communication, and cooperation among federal, state, tribal, and local agencies that may share jurisdiction over crimes against Native women. We cannot allow the experiences of Native communities continue to slip through bureaucracy. Today, I am calling on House Leadership to quickly bring this bill to the floor.

I am thankful for the work of the City of Portland to shine a light on this issue by passing a resolution later this week calling attention to this urgent crisis. We need to all work together to demand action.

We must strive to better understand the institutional racism and systemic inequalities that Native communities face. I will keep fighting for justice for those who are missing or murdered, and I remain committed to taking action to prevent these crimes in the future.

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