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Mayoral Proclamation - Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day 02.14.2015

That I, Timothy J. Mahoney, Mayor of the City of Fargo, do hereby proclaim February 14, 2015, to be Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day.

02/14/2015

  • WHEREAS, I, Tim Mahoney, Mayor of Fargo, North Dakota do hereby establish and submit the following proclamation; and

  • WHEREAS, The City of Fargo joins in solidarity with Canada to spur awareness in North Dakota, the Great Plains region, and the United States for murdered and missing Indigenous women. More than 1,181 Native women and girls have been reported missing or have been murdered in Canada since 1980; and

  • WHEREAS, There is not a comprehensive estimate of Indigenous women who are missing and murdered in the United States, but, many factors contribute to this epidemic such fear, stigma, legal barriers, racism, sexism, and the devastating levels of violence in the US; and

  • WHEREAS, According to the US Department of Justice, nearly half of all Native American women have been raped, beaten, or stalked by an intimate partner. Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault crimes compared to all other races. One in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime; and on some reservations, women are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than the national average; and

  • WHEREAS, For over 20 years there have been marches, events and awareness raising efforts each year throughout Canada on Valentine’s Day, such as the Women’s Memorial March, the Stolen Sisters movement, Sisters in Spirit, Families of Sisters in Spirit, the Walking With Our Sisters exhibit, creating a community-led database and map, such as the Highway of Tears, and using media via the #MMIW and #ItEndsHere hashtags; and

  • WHEREAS, The Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day seeks to build upon the support of these efforts in Canada by increasing awareness in the United States of the Indigenous women and girls who have not had the proper attention or justice; and

  • WHEREAS, there is not a comprehensive estimate of Indigenous women who are missing and murdered in the United States, but, many factors contribute to this epidemic such fear, stigma, legal barriers, racism, sexism, and the devastating levels of violence in the US; and

  • WHEREAS, It is fitting that the City of Fargo join those fighting for this cause to promote a greater awareness of this disparity in Native communities and call for more resources and action to address the colonial gender based violence in the United States and Canada; and

  • NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That I, Timothy J. Mahoney, Mayor of the City of Fargo, do hereby proclaim February 14, 2015, to be Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day in the City of Fargo, North Dakota.

  • IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Fargo, North Dakota to be affixed this 6h day of February, 2015.