Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)

The University of North Carolina Wilmington annually memorializes Missing and Murdered Indigenous women through the red dress project. We strive to raise awareness and advocate for justice. Our memorial stands as a symbol of remembrance, solidarity, and amplifying the voices of the silenced.

The MMIW Red Dress Project is a symbol of awareness and remembrance for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic that has plagued indigenous communities across North America. This powerful movement began in 2010 with Canadian artist Jaime Black's installation, which featured red dresses hung in public spaces to draw attention to the staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls. Since then, it has become a global movement advocating for justice, recognition, and action to address this crisis.

The choice of red dresses as the central motif of this project holds deep significance. Red symbolizes both the bloodshed and the resilience of Indigenous women and girls who have been victimized and marginalized. The dresses tell the story of a missing sister, mother, daughter, or friend whose absence leaves a void in their communities. By placing red dresses in public spaces, the project demands that these stories be seen and heard, challenging society to confront the systemic issues that perpetuate violence against Indigenous women and girls.

The use of legislation to enact laws in support of victims plays a crucial role in addressing and preventing this pervasive issue. By passing comprehensive laws, governments can provide a framework for protecting survivors, holding perpetrators accountable, and providing resources for recovery and rehabilitation.

Savanna’s Act 

The legislation was created in response to the murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Nation of North Dakota who was killed in August 2017. At the time of her death, Savanna was 22 years old and eight months pregnant. Savanna’s Act, signed into law in October 2020, improves the federal response to missing or murdered indigenous persons (MMIP) and increases coordination among federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies. 

Kayla's Act: Protecting Domestic Violence Victims 

Legislation was submitted into the North Carolina General Assembly in 2023 in response to the death of Kayla Hammonds, a 31-year-old woman from Lumberton, N.C. Kayla was killed on November 21, 2022, by Desmond Sampson in a Food Lion parking lot. Hammonds had obtained an order of protection against Sampson less than a month earlier.  Three days before her death, a Robeson County judge dismissed charges against Sampson because Hammonds failed to appear in court to testify. This bill will allow survivors of domestic violence to testify remotely, even if the defendant objects, under certain criteria.

Native: (noun) 

• one born or reared in a particular place
• an original or indigenous inhabitant 

Indigenous: (adjective, synonym of aboriginal) 

• of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place and especially of a place that was colonized by a now-dominant group

Aboriginal: (adjective, synonym to indigenous) 

• being the first or earliest known of its kind present in a region 
• of or relating to the people who have been in a region from the earliest time; of or relating to aborigines 
• Aborigines: a member of any of the indigenous peoples of Australia 

Colonize: (verb) 

• to take control of (a people or area) especially as an extension of state power; to claim (someone or something) as a colony 
• to take or make use of (something) without authority or right  

Terms: Source

Additional information, data and resources can be found at: 

• UNCW UNCW Library
• U.S Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs  
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) NC