Thousands march for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives
Dark memories, hope and perseverance were on display on Saturday in south Minneapolis. A large group gathered for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives March — a march dedicated to those many love, but miss daily.
"I am Chippewa from Saginaw, Michigan, and this is something I've never seen before," said Danielle Barber, who lives in Hastings, Minnesota.
The march started with a ceremony at the Minneapolis American Indian Center, with families like one from the Fond du Lac Reservation sharing the unimaginable about their brother Peter Martin, who's been missing for years.
"The biggest thing I've ever learned is to not take your time for granted on this earth here," Martin's brother said on stage.
The crowd then moved outdoors, taking to the streets.
"Our daughter Cornella, her life was taken Jan. 12, 2020," said Carol Whitebrother, of Red Lake Nation.
"We're still grieving, we're still grieving. It never goes away," said her husband, Benjamin Roybal.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was expected to attend on Saturday, but WCCO was told last minute she couldn't.
Someone at the ceremony before the march spoke on behalf of Flanagan, reciting the fact that, "in 2025, 732 people who went missing in the state of Minnesota were Indigenous."
Minnesota's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office, which was the first of its kind in the country, says Indigenous relatives are far more likely to experience violence, be murdered or go missing compared to other demographics.
"We're all humans. We all bleed red. We all appreciate the same sun. We all feel the same wind in our hair. We were told from the time we were little that we were supposed to love one another," said Dee Thomas, who traveled from West Virginia for the march.
"It feels good coming here and meeting people that you see every year," Roybal said.
"The history that we think is our history is not. There are so many things that have been covered up," Barber said.
Although Indigenous woman account for less than 1% of the state's population, the BCA says they account for 5.6% of all reported missing.
For more information and resources, visit the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's webpage.