Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls (MMIWG)
The American Indian Resource Center at UCSC is dedicated to raising awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), a human rights crisis affecting Native communities throughout the United States and Canada. In 2019, the Urban Indian Health Institute reported that 95% of MMIWG cases received no national or international media coverage—highlighting the urgent need for visibility and justice.
National Day of Awareness for MMIWG
Each year on May 5, the National Day of Awareness for MMIWG, the AIRC hosts a campus event to honor those lost and to bring attention to this ongoing issue. We also offer presentations for UCSC student organizations, departments, and community partners who want to learn more. These presentations cover the history of MMIWG, jurisdictional challenges, legislation, and advocacy, and provide practical resources for how individuals and groups can help spread awareness and take meaningful action.
If your group is interested in hosting a presentation or collaborating on awareness efforts, please contact us airc@ucsc.edu.
The REDress Project
The AIRC collaborated with UCSC’s Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery to produce a virtual Red Dress Exhibit, inspired by the work of Métis artist Jaime Black, creator of the REDress Project. This powerful collaboration brought greater awareness to the MMIWG crisis through visual storytelling and community engagement. UCSC’s City on a Hill Press covered the exhibit and its impact—read the full article on their website.
MMIWG Online Resources and Media List
This collection brings together powerful stories, research, online resources, and creative works that center the voices of Indigenous women and girls.
MMIWG Online Resources
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC)
A Native-led nonprofit dedicated to ending violence against Native women and children. NIWRC provides culturally grounded resources, training, and policy advocacy to support tribal sovereignty and safety.
A grassroots organization that promotes Native arts, culture, leadership, and community development through education, workshops, and cultural preservation projects.
An Indigenous-led group focused on racial, social, climate, and economic justice. Rising Hearts elevates Indigenous voices through advocacy, education, and coalition-building across movements.
Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI)
SBI conducts and supports Indigenous-led research on gender and sexual violence, working to empower communities with data-driven tools for healing and justice.
Books
These books offer powerful stories, personal testimony, and critical analysis to deepen understanding of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis.
Check out Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) books
Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide
Author: Andrea Smith
Description: Links colonial violence to gendered violence against Native women and calls for innovative approaches to end it.
Forever Loved
Authors: Dawn Memee Lavell-Harvard & Jennifer Brant
Description: A collection of voices honoring MMIWG in Canada, highlighting systemic failures and Indigenous resilience.
If I Go Missing
Authors: Brianna Jonnie & Nahanni Shingoose
Description: Inspired by a viral letter, this illustrated book challenges the media and authorities’ treatment of missing Indigenous youth.
Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters
Edited by: Kim Anderson, Maria Campbell & Christi Belcourt
Description: Explores root causes of violence and Indigenous-led responses through essays and stories of survival.
Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims
Author: Sarah Winnemucca
Description: The first known autobiography by a Native woman, documenting injustice and Paiute perspectives in the late 1800s.
Sharing Our Stories of Survival
Edited by: Sarah Deer et al.
Description: First-hand stories and legal insight from Native women on surviving violence and advocating for change.
Stolen Sisters
Author: Emmanuelle Walter
Description: Investigative journalism on two missing teens in Quebec and the broader MMIWG crisis in Canada.
The Beginning and End of Rape
Author: Sarah Deer
Description: A collection of essays calling for legal and cultural reform to protect Native women from sexual violence.
Highway of Tears
Author: Jessica McDiarmid
Description: Examines decades of disappearances and murders along Highway 16 in British Columbia, exposing systemic racism.
The Round House
Author: Louise Erdrich
Description: A novel about a boy seeking justice after his mother is assaulted on their reservation—based on real legal gaps.
Films
These films offer powerful stories, personal testimony, and critical analysis to deepen understanding of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis.
Check out Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) films
This award-winning documentary, directed by Christine Welsh, travels from Vancouver to the Highway of Tears, humanizing the national crisis of MMIWG in Canada.
A short documentary that considers whether a national public inquiry is the right path forward in addressing MMIWG in Canada.
Filmed by a young Indigenous ally, this documentary features emotional interviews with families of MMIWG in the U.S. and highlights community voices demanding justice.
A crime thriller that follows an FBI agent and a wildlife officer investigating the rape and murder of a young Native woman on a Wyoming reservation.
Reports
These reports and investigations highlight the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S), with a focus on Northern California and broader Indigenous communities across the U.S. Together, they center survivor voices, expose systemic violence, and advocate for justice and accountability.
Check out Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) reports
Searching for Justice: A Human Rights Investigation on Northern California MMIWG
A collaboration between the AIRC and UCSC’s Human Rights Investigations Lab that integrates open-source research into the ongoing advocacy around MMIWG in Northern California.
I Will See You Again in a Good Way – Year 2 Progress Report (2021)
A continuation of work centering survivor and family voices, this report documents community-driven efforts to protect Indigenous women and youth in Northern California.
I Will See You Again in a Good Way – Year 1 Report
This report documents the widespread impact of MMIWG2S violence and trafficking in Northern California, from the Bay Area to the Oregon border.
A response by the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) to gaps in official reporting by the Washington State Patrol on the MMIWG crisis.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
UIHI’s national report on the scope, challenges, and data gaps in tracking cases of MMIWG in urban Native communities across the U.S.
A UIHI study revealing high rates of sexual violence against Native women in Seattle, with a focus on systemic inequities.
Supporting the Sacred: Womxn of Resilience
Examines gender-based violence against Native people during the COVID-19 pandemic, with recommendations for culturally rooted care.
Violence on the Land, Violence on Our Bodies
A toolkit and report on the links between environmental harm and violence against Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people, particularly from extractive industries.
Zuya Wicayuonihan – Honoring Warrior Women
A study from SBI and Brave Heart Society investigating MMIWG cases tied to the Keystone XL pipeline region, identifying gaps in services and support.
YouTube Videos
This collection of videos, events, and media features powerful stories, advocacy, and community action raising awareness about the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). From virtual gatherings to national documentaries, these pieces honor those lost and amplify calls for justice.
Check out Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) YouTube videos
National Day of Awareness for MMIWG: Seeking Justice for Our Sisters
Indigenous Women Keep Going Missing in Montana
Running for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women | Rosalie Fish | TEDxYouth@Seattle
The Search: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women | Fault Lines
Voces Críticas ~ Rebecca Hernandez and Rennea Howell May 2 2019
Please note:
This list is not exhaustive. We encourage you to continue exploring—there are hundreds of additional resources available online for those looking to deepen their understanding of the MMIWG crisis. Learning more is an important way to honor the voices, stories, and ongoing advocacy of Indigenous communities.