The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law signed by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. The Act provided $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress when prosecutors chose to not prosecute cases. The Act also established the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice study, men rape and sexually assault Native American and Alaskan Native women more than 2.5 times as much as any other ethnicity. The same study shows that non-Native men victimize Native American women the most by all races out of all populations in the United States.[1] Homicide is the third leading cause of death for Native American and Alaskan Native girls between the ages of 10 and 24 and the fifth leading cause of death for women 25 to 34. H.R.2733 — 116th Congress (2019-2020) Furthermore, studies have shown Native American women living on the reservation are murdered ten times the national average, and 80% experienced violence in their lifetime. NamUS generated a study that found Alaska, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Washington to have statistically higher rates of missing Indigenous females than any other state in the U.S. The increased violent acts against Native American and Alaskan Native women are the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis.
Catherine Marie Cortez Masto is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Nevada since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 32nd attorney general of Nevada from 2007 to 2015.
The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2019, and ended on January 3, 2021, during the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. Senators elected to regular terms in 2014 finished their terms in this Congress, and House seats were apportioned based on the 2010 Census.
Joseph John Heck is a United States Army major general, physician, and politician who served as the United States representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2017. Heck, a Republican, is a board-certified physician and served as a Nevada state senator from 2004 to 2008. He ran for the United States Senate in 2016.
The Native American Languages Act of 1990 is the short cited title for executive order PUBLIC LAW 101-477 enacted by the United States Congress on October 30, 1990. Public Law 101-477 of 1990 gave historical importance as repudiating past policies of eradicating Indian Languages by declaring as policy that Native Americans were entitled to use their own languages. The fundamental basis of the policy's declaration was that the United States "declares to preserve, protect and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use practice and develop Native American Languages".
Native American feminism or Native feminism is, at its root, understanding how gender plays an important role in indigenous communities both historically and in modern-day. As well, Native American feminism deconstructs the racial and broader stereotypes of indigenous peoples, gender, sexuality, while also focusing on decolonization and breaking down the patriarchy and pro-capitalist ideology. As a branch of the broader Indigenous feminism, it similarly prioritizes decolonization, indigenous sovereignty, and the empowerment of indigenous women and girls in the context of Native American and First Nations cultural values and priorities, rather than white, mainstream ones. A central and urgent issue for Native feminists is the Missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) human-rights crisis disproportionately affects Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States, notably those in the FNMI and Native American communities. A corresponding mass movement in the US and Canada works to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) through organized marches; the building of databases; local community, city council, and tribal council meetings; and domestic violence trainings for police.
Michèle Taïna Audette is a Canadian politician and Native Canadian activist. She has served as president of Femmes autochtones du Québec and the Native Women's Association of Canada. She served from 2004 through 2008 as Associate Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Relations with Citizens and Immigration of the Quebec government, where she was in charge of the Secretariat for Women. In 2017, she was appointed as one of the five commissioners of the government's national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. In 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated her to the Canadian Senate, as a Senator for Quebec.
Debra Anne Haaland is an American politician serving as the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017 and as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. Haaland is a Native American and enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe.
Sharon Donna Mclvor is a leading Aboriginal women's rights activist, a member of the Lower Nicola Band and is a Thompson Indian. She challenged the government of Canada in a landmark case regarding sex-based discrimination among Indigenous women and children.
Maulian Dana is the first individual to hold the position of the Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador. Chief Kirk Francis appointed her in September 2017.
The REDress Project by Jaime Black is a public art installation that was created in response to the missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) epidemic in Canada and the United States. The on-going project began in 2010 and commemorates missing and murdered indigenous women from the First Nations, Inuit, Métis (FNIM), and Native American communities by hanging empty red dresses in a range of environments. The project has also inspired other artists to use red to draw attention to the issue of MMIW, and prompted the creation of Red Dress Day.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Nevada will be held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Nevada.
The epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) is not exclusive to any region of the United States, but some states have a higher number of cases. Utah ranked 8th in the United States for the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The state's capital, Salt Lake City, was the city with the 9th highest number of cases of MMIW.
A red handprint, usually painted across the mouth, is a symbol that is used to indicate solidarity with missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in North America, in recognition of the fact that Native American women are up to 10 times more likely to be murdered or sexually assaulted.
Jennifer Lee Bendery is an American political journalist whose focus has been on Capitol Hill, including coverage of U.S. policy regarding women and minorities – particularly Savanna's Act and the Violence Against Women Act.
Tamra Borchardt-Slayton is a Paiute politician and the chairperson and leader of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.
Jaime Black is an Indigenous Canadian multidisciplinary artist-activist focused on First Nations and Indigenous representation and identity. She identifies as Métis, an ethnic group native to the three Prairie Provinces as well as parts of Ontario, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories of Canada and the Northern United States, which traces descent to both Indigenous North Americans and Western European settlers. Black is best known for her art installation The REDress Project that she created as a response to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis in Canada as well as the United States. A 2014 report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found that more than 1,000 Indigenous women were murdered over the span of 30 years from 1980 to 2012. However, some Indigenous advocacy groups dispute these reports arguing that the number is much greater than the government has acknowledged.
Patricia 'Patsy' L. Whitefoot is a member of Yakama Nation, is Indigenous elder, activist and professional educator along with being the traditional food gatherer for the Toppenish Creek Longhouse. She served as the President of the National Indian Education Association and President Obama appointed her as a member of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. She is a prominent advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and Indigenous rights.
