05/02/2025
The Yurok Tribe will host the fourth annual MMIP Awareness Day Walk on Monday, May 5, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Ada Charles Community Center in Klamath. The day of remembrance for missing and murdered indigenous people will feature speakers, a light walk, lunch, wellness bags and t-shirts, opportunities for families to share their stories, and more.
At the event, Yurok Tribal Court and Tribal Police staff will give presentations about ongoing initiatives and resources available to families with missing or murdered relatives. Tribal staff will also be giving demonstrations about the drone and other technology employed during searches and investigations.
Families of missing and murdered indigenous people will be able to create a banner to commemorate or bring awareness about their loved ones, and will also be able to enter their loved ones information in the Yurok Tribe’s MMIP database, which helps the Tribe and investigators understand the scope of MMIP issues and continue to address the ongoing crisis.
“This is a day to remember those we’re still looking for, those who we won’t forget about,” said Yurok Tribal Court Director and event coordinator Jessica Carter. “It’s also a day of healing for families and the community, and a chance to show the Tribe's commitment to family members and to those affected by the MMIP crisis.”
California has the fifth highest rate of MMIP cases in the US. The MMIP crisis is entrenched in the historical traumas of colonization, enslavement, boarding schools and the federal and state-sanctioned genocide that reduced California’s Native populations by 90%. Decades of marginalization have only deepened the vulnerability of Indigenous communities, resulting in high rates of poverty, lack of housing, child welfare disparities, entanglement in the criminal justice system, and ongoing threats to the health and well-being of Indigenous people .
On Wednesday May 7, Yurok Tribal Council Members and staff will be participating in the 3rd Annual Candlelight Vigil at the state capitol building.
Transportation to the MMIP Awareness Day event on Monday, May 5 is available to a limited number of people. Please reach out to Yurok Transit at 707-482-0731 to request accommodation.
