IWMF Spotlight: Reporting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

Brooklyn Brown reporting in the field.

Each May, awareness and attention is brought to the injustice of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and the violence targeted at Indigenous nations in the United States, both in urban settings and on Indigenous sovereign lands. Many times, the stories of those who have gone missing or whose lives have ended in murder are absent from the headlines.

In turn, the invisibility of Indigenous people and the unprecedented violence that their communities endure increases without public knowledge both locally and nationwide.

The IWMF’s Fund for Indigenous Journalists: Reporting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIWG2T) is empowering Indigenous journalists to report on their own communities and seek justice for those affected by gender-based violence. This month, we are proud to spotlight the work of our grantees.

“Nationally, there is a devaluing of Native lives. In my community, it is Cherokee lives. But nationwide, it is all Indigenous life,” says Brooklyn Brown, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a reporter with the Cherokee One Feather. “We must value our people, and demand to be treated as human. This is a historically rooted devaluing that must be undone. That is the power of the national movement.”

Brooklyn’s IWMF-funded, year-long project supports her reporting on what is happening in her community. She is uncovering the stories of the first set of 35 documented Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) MMIWG2T — the lives of those that were stolen. Her project is essential to understanding the full breadth of the MMIWG2T issue on the Qualla Boundary, which consists of Cherokee, NC; Robbinsville, NC; and Cherokee County, NC.

We spoke to Brooklyn about her project and what it means to spotlight how this injustice is playing out in her own sovereign nation.

IWMF: What would you like to tell the world about what you are witnessing, learning or hoping for with your reporting?

Brooklyn Brown: There is a continuous outpouring of raw emotion in this work. There is pain, sadness, anger, outrage, hope, renewal, righteousness, love. We are all dealing with so much — all of us as people experiencing this issue. In reporting on this work, we need to take care of ourselves and each other. Our duty to take care of each other is part of what will ignite change for our communities. The burden is heavy, but it does not need to be carried alone.

What type of impact has your MMIWG2T reporting project had so far? 

My MMIWG2T project funded by IWMF has been in progress since January. For the last five months, my project has impacted my community by providing a clear and accessible outlet to share stories of our missing and murdered. With the weekly graphics and monthly articles my project produces, families of missing and murdered Cherokee people are able to share their story and advocate for their loved one on their terms. The Cherokee One Feather, which is the media outlet I report for, has become a place to voice community concern for the MMIWG2T on the Qualla Boundary and beyond.

What does it mean to be covering your own tribal nation?

It is humbling to cover my own tribal nation within my MMIWG2T project. I am impassioned to provide a platform for my community, and I am simultaneously reminded of the pain, injustice and tragedy of the MMIWG2T movement within my own community. To know the mothers, sisters, community members, lost to violence, by name and story, is a wholly new thing which is harrowing and inspiring.

When the reporting is done the story continues to live. What have you learned about this being true?

The story lives as a reminder of what has happened and a call to action for the loss of a life in our Cherokee community. Sometimes that call to action is justice, sometimes it is reformation, sometimes it is redemption. The story serves a continual purpose past publishing that provides a steady heartbeat for action.

 

 

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Apply!

The Fund for Indigenous Journalists: Reporting on Missing & Murdered Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender People (MMIWG2T) directly supports Indigenous journalists’ reporting on violence that targets members of Indigenous nations, both on sovereign ground and in urban settings in the U.S. The dominant media narrative around Indigenous issues, including of Missing & Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), is often criticized by Indigenous journalists as perpetuating stereotypes and lacking critical nuance — victimizing Indigenous people and ignoring their survivorship. Meanwhile, Indigenous people make up less than one percent of working journalists in the U.S. and have little access to major media outlets to tell their own stories to national audiences.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis by an advisory committee comprised of distinguished Indigenous practicing journalists and editors, along with Indigenous thought leaders. The IWMF is conducting ongoing, targeted outreach to eligible journalists and Indigenous journalism groups to solicit proposals. Indigenous journalists affiliated with media outlets, as well as freelancers, are invited to apply.

In addition to monetary support, the IWMF is committed to providing editorial and pitching support to grantees.

Please read our FAQ page about the program. Eligible journalists can apply here. For additional information, contact Tara Gatewood at tgatewood@iwmf.org.

Open Opportunities

Ongoing: Applications accepted on a rolling basis for the Fund for Women Journalists

Ongoing: Applications accepted on a rolling basis for the Fund for Indigenous Journalists: Reporting on Missing & Murdered Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Transgender People (MMIWG2T)

Accepting proposals from June 3 to July 14: Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism

Newsroom Safety Across America trainings

  • CHICAGO (June 27 and 28): One-day trainings with the Medill School at Northwestern University (form)
  • LOS ANGELES (July 11): One-day training with Los Angeles Public Press (form)
  • SAN FRANCISCO (July 23): One-day training with Catchlight (form)
  • FRESNO, CA (July 24): One-day training with the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative (form)