Cloudy skies and a chance of rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the marchers who arrived at Ah-Nab-Awen Park in Grand Rapids for the 2025 March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). In fact the three Potawatomi Tribes hosting the event, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, and Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, as well as supporters and allies from all walks of life, showed up in support of raising awareness for MMIP.

The event kicked off with mingling at the various tables each Tribe had set up first, where community members reconnected, prepared signs, and shared snacks and water before coming together for speeches from a wide selection of fantastic guest speakers. Speakers included NHBP’s own Chief Judge, Hon. Melissa L. Pope and Tribal Council Vice-Chairperson Robyn Elkins. Both advocate for MMIP in their work, Elkins being a member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) March Task Force.

The MMIP Task Force, and MMIP movement at large, addresses the high rates of violence against Indigenous people in the State of Michigan. Studies show that Native women face murder rates more than ten times that of the national average. Official reports estimate over 4,000 unsolved cases regarding missing and/or murdered Indigenous peoples, but this number only represents reported cases. Chief Judge, Hon. Melissa L. Pope commented on this phenomenon during her speech to the crowd.

“When we look at studies done in places like Minnesota and we see the level of exploitation of urban Natives it is horrendous, and in rural communities it’s not even tracked.”

Also present was Emily Paski, Legal Counsel to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Tribal Liaison for the State of Michigan. Paski delivered a proclamation by Whitmer assigning May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. Whitmer has acknowledged MMIP Awareness since her first proclamation in 2021. This year’s decree, as well as ones from the previous years, can be read here.

In previous years, MMIP Awareness Day has received recognition from political heads of the Executive Branch within the federal government. Amid extensive budget cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, including within sectors that are working towards investigating missing persons cases and homicides, no such proclamation was issued this year.

A water ceremony and traditional song followed the speeches, and soon the hundreds of marchers present were mobilizing across the Gillett Bridge. As the line formed, those bearing regalia and cultural flags at the front, the clouds parted and the sun shone down on the crowd. It was a beautiful start to the mile-long march. A segment of the march was livestreamed on NHBP’s Facebook account and can be watched here.

Calls for justice carried across the crowd for the whole walk, garnering supportive cheers from passersby and peace signs from car windows. After the marchers returned to Ah-Nab-Awen Park thanks were given to The Creator and all the attendees, and a special Jingle Dress Dance took place. With justice at the forefront of the movement, the closing words also prayed for healing to come to the families affected by violence.

The MMIP movement affects communities across the nation. Just this past February, 14-year-old Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe was discovered dead in Globe, Arizona after having been missing for two weeks. Her family, friends, and Tribe grieved her loss, and through vigils and marches similar to the one in Grand Rapids, reminded us that this violence is an ongoing epidemic within Native communities.

With the number of attendees growing bigger every year, the impact of the MMIP Awareness movement only increases. Being recognized, either by politicians or by onlookers who saw a sea of red in the streets of Grand Rapids that Monday, will bring us closer to justice for lost relatives and their families.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Website has resources and information available at the following website:  https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu

Photos from the march can be viewed here: https://nhbp.passgallery.com/-mmipmarch2025/gallery