Chairman Lowery proclaims May as Murdered Missing Indigenous Awareness Month Lumbee Land

Lumbee Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery proclaims the month of May to be Missing and Murdered Indigenous Awareness Month in the land of the Lumbee.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples' Awareness Month - May 5, 2023

AProclamation

WHEREAS, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina joins together with local, state, tribal, and national governments supporting the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; and

Wheras, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina recognizes May 5th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's National Day of Awareness; and

Whereas, the lasting effects of colonization and a history of oppressive policies directly correlate to the rise of violence against Indigenous women and girls; and

Whereas, the disappearances and murders of Indigenous people is directly connected to domestic and other forms of violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and a history of childhood, intergenerational, and historic trauma; and

Whereas, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina recognizes that the issues of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People are not isolated incidents; and

Whereas, Lumbee communities in our four-county Tribal Territory have shown continued resilience in the face of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis; and

Whereas, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina continues to advocate to our state and federal delegations for legislation and policy to address the crisis; and

Whereas, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina stands together with our Native communities in solidarity against sexual violence and domestic abuse, and work to address the root causes of these persistent systemic issues and protect our relatives from further harm.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED, by the Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, that I do hereby urge all citizens to actively participate in the scheduled activities and programs to work towards the elimination of personal and institutional violence against women and girls.

BE IT FURTHER PROCLAIMED, that the Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina publicly recognizes Tribal Support Services, and our community partners, for the important work done by domestic violence programs and victims’ service providers, to increase awareness and thereby hopefully eliminating domestic violence and decreasing the number of missing and murders within the Tribal Territory.

BE IT FINALLY PROCLAIMED, by the Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina that the month of May shall be the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Awareness Month in the land of the Lumbee.