Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Lakota Woman Runs Marathon With The Names Of 26 Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Painted On Her Body

Lakota Woman Runs Marathon With The Names Of 26 Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Painted On Her Body
@nativein_la/Instagram

While participants had their goals set on crossing the finish line for the Boston Marathon, Native and environmental rights activist Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel ran with a deeper purpose.


She marked each mile in the 26.2-mile course with a prayer to each of the 26 Indigenous women who were victims of violence, a crisis in the United States and Canada that is largely ignored.

Jordan wrote the hashtag #MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) on her body to remember each of the 26 women who are either missing or murdered.

The New York Times reported that 84% of Indigenous women have experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence in their lifetime. But their cases tend to go under the radar, according to the National Institute of Justice.

Daniel, a vocal advocate for Indigenous women, hoped to change that by bringing awareness in the high profile event.


Daniel is a Kul Wičasa Lakota, a citizen of the Kul Wičasa Oyaté/Lower Brule Indian Reservation, but now resides in Los Angeles.

She wrote on her Instagram post that she has dedicated the past two years running as a platform to raise awareness over the national crisis of MMIWG.

"It breaks my heart that I can even make a list of 26 sisters taken from our communities."
"For 26 miles, I said her name, with a prayer. I painted #MMIW on my legs, a red hand print covering my mouth to symbolize our sisters voices silenced & red, for the movement, this issue."
"The federal government has failed to include and investigate into the growing number of cases of our relatives murdered and missing."

Indigenous women and girls either go missing or are murdered at an alarming rate higher than the rest of the U.S. population every year.






A lack of consistent investigating and law enforcement reporting of these cases makes it difficult for analysts to properly gain insight into the issue.

"The heartbreaking fact is we don't know the exact number."
"In 2016, Annita Lucchesi (Indigenous researcher) of the UIHI (formerly) identified 5,712 cases were reported but only 116 of those cases were documented in the Department of Justice databases."




Amanda Webster, Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, Miranda Tenorio, Britney Tiger, Ashley Loring Heavyrunner, Lakota Rae Renville, and Lucella Yazzie are some of the names Daniel prayed for.




In addition to running for the 26 victims, she ran for Wings of America, a nonprofit organization that empowers Native American youth and their families inspired by the competitive legacy of Native runners.



Many were inspired by her participation in the prestigious race with an important mission.



@nativein_la/Instagram


@nativein_la/Instagram


@nativein_la/Instagram


@nativein_la/Instagram


@nativein_la/Instagram


@nativein_la/Instagram


@nativein_la/Instagram

Daniel crossed the finish line at Boylston Street with her personal best of 3:02:11 and raised her fist with the words "For My People" written on it.

She told Runner's World:

"I felt so proud and so honored to be able to run this run for those 26 women and for my grandfather. None of it had anything to do with me. I just had to provide the body to run those miles. That was the very least that I could do."

She added:

"MMIW is the longest standing 'Me Too' movement that we've had since colonization, since 1492, and no one ever talks about that."



Daniel received some positive news a few days after raising awareness over the epidemic in the marathon.

A relative of one of the 26 women, Anela Gipp Alkire, contacted the activist to inform her that Alkire had been found.

More from Trending

Dax Shepard; Dove Cameron
Armchair Expert

Dax Shepard Shares Sweet Reason Why Seeing One Of Dove Cameron's Tattoos Made Him Cry

*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.

A video of actor Dax Shepard getting emotional during a recent episode of his Armchair Expert podcast has gone viral.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

White House Sparks Outrage After Tweeting Unhinged Threat Amid Tariffs Pause

The official White House X account drew backlash Wednesday after posting an open threat against any country that responds in kind to Trump’s on-again off-again tariffs.

Trump had once again put a pause on his trade war, but that didn't stop the White House from firing off an inflammatory tweet.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Accidentally Roasts Himself With Ironic Question About 'Stupid People'

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he attempted to defend his disastrous tariff strategy to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday and issued a rhetorical question about "stupid people" that said more about him than anyone else.

Trump would later declare a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less