LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In an effort to put a spotlight on the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, Lake County Tribal Health is planning a special community event on Friday, May 5.
The commemoration of National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at 1950 Parallel Drive in Lakeport.
Everyone is welcome.
Guest speakers will include Daniel Vigil-Masten, Lisa Diaz, Elizabeth Quiroz and Bernadette Smith, with keynote speaker Mark Pooley.
May 5 was chosen as the date to honor and bring awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, or MMIP, because that is the birthday of Hanna Harris, a tribal citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, who would have turned 31 this year.
Harris was only 21 on July 4, 2013, when she left the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation to go into nearby Lame Deer, Montana, to watch the Independence Day fireworks. She never returned home. Her immediate family reported her missing. Four days later she was discovered deceased!
Harris’ horrific murder, observed through the 2018 Hanna’s Act, authorizes Montana Department of Justice to assist local law enforcement in missing persons cases.
Harris and countless other Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons are honored by Native Americans across the United States by wearing red, attending rallies, marathons, and other community events.
On May 4, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a proclamation to declare and designate May 5 as National Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day and he repeated the process again on May 4, 2022.
At the May 5 event in Lakeport, there will be food, refreshments, MMIP T-shirts, bandannas, water bottles and tote bags while supplies last.
For more information, contact Darnell Aparicio at 707-533-3044.
Lake County Tribal Health to host May 5 event to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
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