photo #9273578

The Fourth of July is a day when many of us reflect on the story of this nation. It can also be a day to remember the stories too often left out of that telling, and to turn our attention toward those whose lives, families, and communities still bear the weight of that history.Today, I want to make space for one of those truths: the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women.As fireworks light the sky tonight, thousands of Indigenous women and girls are nowhere to be found and remain missing, stolen, or murdered, an epidemic that has been allowed to continue in silence. I am anguished that in 2026, this remains so invisible to so many. That more than 4 out of 5 Indigenous women will experience violence in their lifetimes. That countless families are left without answers, without justice, without even the dignity of acknowledgment.- In the United States, Native American women face murder rates *more than 10 times* the national average in some areas.- In Canada, over 4,000 Indigenous women and girls have been reported missing or murdered in recent decades.- Many victims are children — some as young as 12 — targeted by trafficking networks that thrive on indifference.This is not just history. It is now. Which led to the creation of “The Red Hand (She Who Is Silent). She came to me as an image I could not shake: a her gaze steady and unbearably sad, the red hand painted across her mouth.Her halo of feathers and fire is meant to show that her memory burns within us. That her spirit rises beyond any attempt to disappear her. That she is sacred. That she is not forgotten.This work is a small act of witness. A prayer that art can keep vigil where systems have failed.All proceeds from the sale of this piece will go directly to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, an organization working tirelessly to end this violence and support Native women and their families.If you have space in your heart and resources to spare, here are organizations working to end this crisis:National Indigenous Women’s Resource Centerhttps://www.niwrc.org](https://www.niwrc.orgMissing and Murdered Indigenous Women USAhttps://mmiwusa.org](https://mmiwusa.orgNative Women’s Association of Canada[https://www.nwac.ca](https://www.nwac.ca)May we honor the truth of this day by not looking away.#MMIW #IndigenousRights #TruthBeforeCelebration“The Red Hand” (She Who Is Silent) Mixed Media 2024Prints:8X10 Matted & SIgned Print: https://shewhoisart.etsy.com/listing/43303114274X6 Mini Altar Art: https://shewhoisart.etsy.com/listing/4330314491