The Virginia G. Piper
Center for Creative Writing

My father had insisted that they each take a statement from my mother because it wasn't clear where the crime had been committed—on state or tribal land—or who had committed it—an Indian or a non-Indian. I already knew, in a rudimentary way, that these questions would swirl around the facts. I already knew, too, that these questions would not change the facts. But they would inevitably change the way we sought justice.

From The Round House by Louise Erdrich (p. 12) 

Every year, thousands of Indigenous women and girls go missing, and are subject to physical abuse, sexual assault, and other forms of interpersonal violence at rates higher than any other ethnic or racial group. Yet even here, the data is plagued by deep errors in classification and tracking—according to some databases, 'Native American' doesn't even exist. And when a report is finally able to be made, a maze of jurisdictions make it difficult for organizations to collaborate, let alone find those who are missing. The Round House is just one story. With such a complicated and multifaceted problem, where do we begin?

On May 9, 2019, the Arizona legislature passed HB2570, creating a Study Committee on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), which would spend the next year gathering data, reviewing policies, and producing recommendations to take the first steps of bringing this crisis to an end.

In this panel, study committee members Representative Jennifer Jermaine, Debbie Nez Manuel, and April Ignacio will share updates and progress from their work with the HB2570 committee over the last year: defining the extent and scope of the crisis; situating MMIWG within centuries of genocide, violence, and colonial erasure; and outlining what's next.

Panelists will also be on hand to take questions from the audience. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Traci Morris of the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University. This event will be live-streamed and recorded, and is open to the public and free.

Only the Beginning: Arizona's Study Committee on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is Friday, March 19, 2021 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Phoenix MST / Pacific on Zoom.

Please note: as Phoenix does not observe daylight savings time, determining the correct time outside of Arizona can be somewhat confusing. Right now, Phoenix MST is currently equivalent to Pacific (not Mountain). To view the current time in Phoenix, Arizona, you can check the world time clock.

To learn more about the HB 2570 Study Committee, you can read an article from Arizona Public Media or view the final report. This event is open to the public and free.

Looking for more events? Talk about things that matter with Dr. Traci Morris on March 24, register for the keynote with Layli Long Soldier on March 26, or view the full schedule for the NEA Big Read today at http://piper.asu.edu/nea-big-read/events.