Olivia Allery, news editor

On Feb. 14, the Day of Remembrance, hundreds of Minneapolis residents clad in ribbon skirts and red — many even adorned with red hand prints painted on their faces — took to the streets of East Phillips to remember and honor the Indigenous relatives who have been lost to violence and who still remain missing. This march was not just limited to the Minneapolis/Twin Cities area. According to MPR News, similar marches on Feb. 14 were held in Bemidji, Fargo-Moorhead, Mahnomen and Duluth, all with the same message, “No More Stolen Relatives.” 

While Indigenous people only make up about 1% of Minnesota’s population, Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited individuals made up 9% of all the missing cases from 2010 to 2019, according to a 2019 Department of Public Safety (DPS) report. These statistics continue to be heart-wrenching truths for the families and tribal communities, and with the lack of news coverage each year, the Day of Remembrance marches become even more important.

According to Star Tribune, the Minneapolis march started at the East Phillips Community Center gymnasium where speaker, Ana Negrete, listed off all the names of missing and murdered relatives to the hushed crowd. In a quote from Star Tribune, Negrete shared to the crowd, “Today we remember you. Today we call out your name. today my hands have been removed from my mouth … it is my responsibility to speak for those who cannot. I will not stay still and do nothing.” 

Augsburg Indigenous Student Association’s Public Relations Officer, Cayley Coyne, was in attendance at the march and was able to share her experiences bringing awareness to the epidemic levels of missing and murdered relatives. 

“It was a strange mix,” said Coyne in a quote to the Echo, when asked about her personal feelings while in attendance. “I remember my friend saying something about having to do it every year and then I kind of realized ‘Wow I have to do this again’ because it feels like there’s no progress towards this at all.” Coyne continued by saying, “It’s also really heart-warming to see the community get together in the way that we do, and I feel like it’s growing with the amount of people that show up to the march each year, so it’s kinda bittersweet.”

When asked by the Echo if she remembers hearing of any missing Indigenous people in the news, Coyne responded by saying, “Growing up I didn’t really start attending the marches and actually hearing anything about the issue until like 7th or 8th grade, and I hadn’t heard of anyone locally or even on the rez, I didn’t hear anything about those going missing, even if I did if it’s like a Facebook post, like a mom trying to get her daughter back, never in the news.”

According to MPR News, The Day of Remembrance March is an event that also helps the Minnesota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office rally for reward money and resources to help families find missing relatives.

“Although it is sad that we have to keep doing it, because of the lack of media and lack of attention,” said Coyne in a quote to the Echo. “It is a way to honor those who we have lost due to this issue, then in a way it’s good that we have because we’re keeping their memories alive and not letting such a negative thing ruin the picture of them.”