Hello! Welcome to COTL, a discussion place for BIPOC. Posted the first 3 Wednesdays of the month
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Over the weekend The Emmys took place & D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Bear from the sensational TV show Reservation Dogs) was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance (the first indigenous actor to get the nomination1). D’Pharaoh chose this moment to make the powerful & tragic visual statement about a movement: The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women movement which is raising awareness about high rates of Native women (& girls) across the U.S. and Canada who are killed or abducted each year.
“This epidemic has been ignored for far too long and has devastated the lives of countless Indigenous people,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to make this statement, and when I received the Emmy nomination, I felt an obligation to use the opportunity to spark these conversations.”
It worked. On me at least & I highly recommend checking out the linked article on how other Emmy attendees reacted, as well as more of his own reasoning. However, I think I’d be remiss in not discussing the genuine problem at hand.
https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw
Why Is There Widespread Silence on the MMIW Issue?
There are numerous reasons, but at the forefront lie issues stemming from the Indian Relocation Act and federal policies. Many Native Americans do not live on the tribal lands or reservations (only 22%) and many frequent a lifestyle of transience between tribal and state lands.
Native Americans residing in urban areas have few resources linked to their culture and tribal community. Many Urban Indians, people living in cities, fall into a “pipeline of vulnerability”: people of color, people experiencing poverty, people coming out of the foster care system, people lacking resources or family, people isolated emotionally, physically or psychologically.
The NativeHope organisation also led me to the dark underbelly of the South Dakota Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (that only recently concluded at the beginning of August again), where DCI agents and other law enforcement officials conduct undercover sex sting operations.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, more than 40% of those trafficked in the state have been Native women. What’s even more startling is that only 8% of South Dakota’s residents are Native.
While it can happen to anyone, Native American women and children are at a higher risk. Traffickers often exploit the needs of potential victims, whether they are fundamental physical requirements like shelter and food, or emotional needs such as affection and a sense of belonging. According to the Polaris Project, “Generational trauma, historic oppression, discrimination, and other societal factors and inequities create community-wide vulnerabilities.”
How familiar this all sounds. How common the suppression of “others” is just used as a tactic to elevate one group over another & yet around & around on this merry-go-round we go.
Mostly it’s all done for the purposes of exploitation… always with the exploitation 🤦🏾♀️. The Polaris Project is of particular note for me, as I belong to the most likely trafficked demographic group & I also unforunately fall into a few of the subcategories for vulnerabilities:
I won’t lie I’ve talked with a fair few dodgy guys online. Dating sucks, but even worse is the lack of belonging or feeling “othered” and alone even when you’re around other people. Even when you’re around people who you seem so similiar. Even here on the well moderated and more tolerant cado, where I tend to be more open than elsewhere 🤷🏾♀️. I dunno. I’m kind of a mess & pretty broken. The irony that I may end up a victim is not lost on me. I guess I just have to stay vigilant.
“CONSTANT VIGILANCE” as a once well beloved children’s book series suggested. More ironies: the author now an advocate for the far-right and helping them in their bid to weaken protections against women. What. a. mess.
The requirements to help those most at risk seem almost insurmountable. Prevention easier than a cure, but I’d like to leave us with some key signs in potentially highlighting & helping those who are at risk:
Learn the signs and how to report human trafficking. If you see something, say something.
If you or someone you know is being trafficked or assaulted, call your local law enforcement so that they can respond immediately.
I recommend visiting and checking out https://blog.nativehope.org/sex-trafficking-during-the-sturgis-motorcycle-rally & https://polarisproject.org/vulnerabilities-and-recruitment/ for more information.
In some more positive news:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1488zz8jnzo.amp
I don’t really have a prompt in mind this week.
As always I hope y’all have a nice day.
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