(Riverton, WY) With the theme “We March For Them,” MMIP Wind River invites all in Fremont County and the Wind River Reservation to participate in this year’s MMIP March to be held on the National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), on Sunday, May 5th, also known as “Red Day”.
Participants are asked to wear red, decorate their vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. in red, gather in the FCSD #25 administration parking lot (121 North 5th Street) at 10:30 a.m., then assemble at the top of Main Street at 11:00 a.m. and proceed with a police escort to the Riverton City Park. At the bandshell, there will be a program of prayer, drums, dancers, guest speakers, and an open mic. Families and loved ones of victims, as well as those whose lives are and have been affected by crime and violence, are invited to share their stories.
Informational vendors are welcome to set up tables or tents. Attendees should bring their own blankets and chairs for the gathering in the park.
We March For Them: ‘Nothing about us…’
Bringing awareness of the nationwide MMIP movement to a local scale, “We March For Them” is also geared toward crime prevention and community cohesiveness.
“Nothing about us without us,” said Nicole Wagon, MMIP Wind River Chairperson and march co-coordinator. “We have victims I feel obligated to, and the families that are a part of this movement. The message we need to bring is that you are not alone.”
Wagon has visited other reservations and has been a strong participant, voice and advocate at several MMIP events and ceremonies. Her daughter, Jocelyn, was murdered in January 2019 and her daughter, Jade, was reported missing and found murdered a year later. Jocelyn’s story is featured in the documentary, Who She Is, and Jade is featured in the Medicine Wheel Riders’ documentary We Ride For Her.
“The people of the Wind River are not being heard,” Wagon said. “We’ve got more that’s happening here that nobody wants to talk about, nobody wants to deal with. It’s an epidemic. We need people to get on the pro-preventative side, so when we read in the media that there’s another homicide, it’s not falling on deaf ears. That person counted and mattered. They had a life, they had a name…I don’t want the community to keep saying, ‘Oh, there goes another one.’ It’s not okay! It’s getting to be so much now, to the critical point of where we’re asking, ‘How do we get people to care? How can we make it safe? What factors do we need to put into place?’”
Wagon said that since being a part of the MMIP movement and Wyoming MMIP State Task Force, “I look to the Creator and say, ‘What are you asking of me?’ Somehow I’m a part of this, to make my daughters’ lives count and matter. I would rather have them here. Unfortunately, that was out of my hands and they were taken from me. Yes, I received justice for my eldest daughter…and if I am a ray of hope for others, then so be it. But if I can do it and encourage others to try to do things better, they can do it, too.”
There is a signup form on the MMIP website for those who wish to participate and learn more about the MMIP Wind River movement. If you are interested in supporting as a donor or sponsor, email [email protected]. Donations are taken under the Riverton Peace Mission’s 501c3. Checks can be made out to the Riverton Peace Mission, with “MMIP March” in the memo portion of your check. Mail to: MMIP March, ℅ Riverton Peace Mission, P.O. Box 255, Riverton, WY 82501.
For more information and updates, visit the MMIP Wind River website or Facebook page.
