麻豆传媒

Posted on: Jun, 4, 2025

By Jaxon Adkison, Marketing Work Study

Throughout the month of May, 麻豆传媒 hosted moving and meaningful events to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day that drew students, faculty, staff, tribal members, and community advocates to campus. The events consisted of moving speeches, memorials featuring missing individuals, visual displays, resource tables, a red hand print ceremony, and a call to action for systemic change in response to this ongoing crisis.

On MMIP Awareness Day, May 5th, Lieutenant Ron Belcher of the Quinault Indian Nation Police stressed the relentless work that goes into solving cold cases. Looking back on decades-long disappearances, he emphasized the need to be persistent, even when the leads appear useless. "You can follow that rabbit hole on a lead, I mean, a large rabbit hole, and get to the bottom of it and go, 'Oh, that was nothing.' But at least you try鈥攁nd the families know you're trying." His remarks highlighted the emotional toll on investigators and families alike, as well as shining a light on progress through new technology like DNA genealogy and interagency collaboration.

Volunteer event coordinator and Associate Dean of Instruction at Stafford Creek Corrections Center CJ Berndt, a former missing person and activist, addressed what motivated them to put on the tribute. They explained how the question "Who will search for me?" defined their work 鈥� not as a personal request, but as a way of centering the experiences of missing Indigenous individuals. 鈥淭his can be the one chance to get their name and face in front of someone who can help bring them home,鈥� they said in their speech in GHC鈥檚 new tulalW Student Center 鈥� the word tulalW being Quinault for 鈥渢ogether.鈥�

On their way into the building, visitors to the MMIP opening event on May 5th drove and walked past red paper t-shirt cutouts of missing Grays Harbor residents, including recent cases like Carson Guerue (missing less than a month) and Loralee Lhotka (missing for fifty years).

Director of Tribal Climate Resilience & Tribal Navigator Programs at GHC Cherie Edwards emphasized the importance of education in solving the MMIP crisis. When asked how everyday people can help, she answered simply, 鈥淭alk about it.鈥� As Edwards explained, bringing awareness to this epidemic really is the best way to combat it. With that in mind, please, say their names and spread the word, because your actions could reach the person that knows something about one of these missing people.