Run, Lead & Advocate: Female Athlete Activism & the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Movement

Violence against girls and women is rampant and an undeniable public health problem (“Violence Against Women,” 2017). Violence against Indigenous women, specifically, is occurring at epidemic levels (Trimmer, 2019). In the United States, “murder is the third-leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women, and rates of violence on reservations can be up to 10 times higher than the national average” (Roberts, 2021, para. 7). “In Canada, Native women are four times as likely to be murdered as non-Native women” (O’Neill, 2020). News of the devastation has begun to garner more media attention (Trimmer, 2019), shining a light on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. This interactive presentation will focus specifically on the efforts of two Indigenous female distance runners, Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel (Kul Wicasa Lakota) and Rosalie Fish (Cowlitz), to bring attention to the MMIW movement. Both women have used their platforms as competitive athletes to draw attention to MMIW and to inspire, educate, and advocate for justice. Session attendees will: 1) learn about the efforts of Fish and Brings Three White Horses Daniel to bring attention to MMIW and 2) examine the effectiveness of the use of social media by athletes as a tool for social justice and advocacy.