Welcome to Part 2 of our July 2024 Inspirational Interview with Cheryl Horn, MMIW (Murdered or Missing Indigenous Women) Activist and Advocate in the USA.
Cheryl Horn, Magazu Nahzi (Standing in the Rain), an Assiniboine from Fort Belknap, Montana, became a member of the Murdered or Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement in July of 2018 with the disappearances of her niece, Tristen Gray, and in 2020, Tristen’s sister, Selena Bell Not Afraid. She is a fierce advocate for families and survivors of missing, murdered and trafficked individuals. She works tirelessly to change laws, find resources, media, lawyers, and more advocates for Indigenous families. Her mission is to bring awareness, prevention and healing to everyone by sharing the experiences she and her family went through.
In 2022, she was awarded USA Today National Woman of the Year along with 10 other very distinguished recipients. With this award, she hopes to bring opportunities for families to tell their stories. As an active member of Pretty Eagle Woman Resource board of directors and the Montana-ACLU board, she now focusses on providing healing spaces to victims and their families. She believes that not addressing grief and sorrow only hurts us and that collectively, we need healing and the opportunity to see a future with hope.
Part two of Cheryl’s interview was published 14 July, 2024.
All photos are courtesy of Cheryl Horn.
6. What would your advice be to activists and advocates in other parts of the world who wish to join the fight to stop violence against Native/Indigenous women in their countries and regions but do not know where to begin?
If I could give any advice to activists and advocates it would be this: do not be afraid. Begin within your own family and decide who will represent the family and start the campaign. Begin with a flyer and put details in the flyer to make the public stop and read. The truth is out there, and it is up to us to reveal it. Find a group to join (it’s awesome that these are now a thing) on social media and get the support you need. I have worked with Sovereign Bodies Institute on a handbook that can be found online. I have seen similar handbooks become available in other outlets. Women are powerful and we are not afraid to stand up for others. This is our power.
7. One of the keys to eradicating VAW is to get men and boys on board and make efforts to do so. What do you think are the most effective ways of galvanising men and boys to help to end VAW?
I believe men and boys need to be living with the idea that women are sacred. Women are life givers. I also believe this starts in the home and with our personal beliefs and culture. My native culture has women honoured and treated with respect. But that is not the case in today’s world. Our culture and beliefs were taken in the boarding schools. The boarding school children did not know how to parent because they themselves were broken children inside. Our men and boys need to be healed and taught their role is to protect women as it was in the past. Reach out to MMIW people and we will gladly embrace you and help you.
8. Tell us about your plans for the future. What programmes, campaigns or projects do you have coming up in the next 5 years?
Currently, I am on a few boards to keep me busy. I am on the Pretty Eagle Woman Resource board which is the first ever family-run non-profit for MMIP. This is my favourite project at the time. I am also on the MT-ACLU board of directors. In the area of MMIP, I am working to bring a healing conference to Montana for MMIP families only. I believe we can heal with our culture, our shared stories and experiences. Moving the movement towards healing the victims and families is my new goal. I, myself, had to attend a healing conference to continue this work and maintain my mental health. I am hoping to get my non-profit going to help my local families with their needs left behind from MMIP or other traumatic events.
9. How can The Pixel Project’s supporters engage with and support your efforts to stop VAW?
The Pixel Project supporters can help by reaching out to me or other advocates and sharing our stories. We appreciate the financial resources but we know sharing our stories and offering prayers does work. I would encourage groups or individuals to donate to families directly and not the non-profits unless a family recommends that non-profit. That is becoming a problem, using MMIW for monetary gain while not helping the victims and families.
10. In your considered opinion, how can we end VAW for good?
My dream is to educate and raise our boys to be proud men who protect their families. When my sons were young, I would tell them something every morning as I let them off at school: be nice to girls. To this day I do not have to worry about them and their spouses. We can end violence in our families and then reach out to the community with our knowledge and ideas. I believe FAITH and LOVE can keep a family together. I would like to mention that in 9 out of 10 MMIW cases, it is drug and alcohol-related.
