President’s Letter

Photo: Tim Evans for MPR News

Walking in the Spirit

by Cindy Saufferer

Walking is good for my soul. I love to walk -- except when the temperature is too cool or too hot or if there is any type of moisture in the air. And forget it if there is even the hint of ice. You could call me a fair-weather walker, but you would be more accurate if you called me a perfect-weather walker!

So why in the world would I hit the icy streets of Minneapolis this past Valentine’s Day in the pouring rain? Simple, something more important than my comfort, MMIWR 2023: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIWR).

MMIW is a movement that advocates for the end of violence against Native women. It also seeks to draw attention to the high rates of disappearances and the murders of Native people.

You may notice the term MMIWR in the event title. The “R” has been added to acknowledge the LGBTQI, Two Spirit, non-binary relatives, as well as Native men and boys, who are also targeted.

In 2019, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Task Force was created. As a result of their work, Minnesota formed the nation’s first state office on missing, murdered Indigenous people and whose purpose is to reduce and end violence against indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people in Minnesota.

As United Women in Faith, many of you know this and can quote the statistics that American Indian women and girls make up just 1% of the state’s population yet account for 8% of all murdered women and girls.

You probably understand and can list the root causes of colonialism, racism and sexual objectification of Indigenous women and girls. I invite you to read the MMIW Task Force report to go even deeper into the issue of MMIW injustice.

Photo: WCCO

On a rainy Valentine’s Day, I walk alongside families carrying posters of loved ones who are missing or have been murdered.

As I am walking, I notice out of the hundreds who are marching, very few are white. I am once again face to face with my privilege.

The weather has lost its significance as empathy overwhelms the moment and I consider my own three daughters. Knowledge of statistics and facts seem a bit useless if I don’t act.

So, I walk. It is good for my soul.

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