UNCW hosts annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Conference

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– A conference was held today in Wilmington, highlighting the ongoing issue plaguing indigenous communities. 

UNCW’s Warwick Center, hosted the 6th annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Conference Friday.  

Tribal members shared their personal and professional experiences on ongoing colonialism and structural violence affecting indigenous communities in North Carolina. 

A panel featuring survivors of these crimes shared their knowledge about the impact of missing and murdered indigenous people.   

Founder of the organization, Crystal Cavalier, says the organization was formed to create a database for this misclassified group of people who are missing or have been murdered.   

“Police usually classify people based on what they look like. So, they classify them as either black, white, or Hispanic. So, because people are misclassified, we don’t have the accurate data to just go and let people know that this is a problem in the community,” said Cavalier.     

UNCW is memorializing missing and murdered indigenous women through the Red Dress Project. 

Red dresses are on display on a tree near Randall Library to provide a platform for collective mourning and advocacy.