Gaagige Mikwendaagoziwag Committee Partners Announce a Statewide Reward Account -5/19/2023

Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Partners Champion a Statewide Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Reward Account with the State of Minnesota

We are honored to announce during this year's memorial and honoring events for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives the exciting, historical news for MMIWR families and the Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag reward fund program.

The Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag “They will be remembered forever” the local homegrown, Indigenous led grassroots reward fund program. The first MMIWg2S, MMIWR reward fund in the state of Minnesota, created and established in the City of Duluth and Approved by Duluth City Council Jan, 10, 2022. Partners collaborate with Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives families, the City of Duluth, state representatives & legislators to champion a historical statewide Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Reward Account with the State of Minnesota.

Sharing our vision of support to MMIWR families and help bring justice and healing,committee partners with now state representative Alicia Koslowski provided multiple  testimony to the state over the past two years urging lawmakers support. Sharing the Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag reward fund program model, vision, and  testimony to expand the local reward fund and MN MMIR Office with a reward account with the State of Minnesota, an advisory board along with the requests for appropriations to support the reward account and support community based efforts. 

Testimony was provided by Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag committee partners; City of Duluth, Native Lives Matter Coalition, Mending the Sacred Hoop, Duluth Police Department, Duluth Indigenous Commission. Supporting testimony from MMIWR families, Tribal Elders, Juliet Rudie Director of the MN MMIR Office and MN State representatives and legislators sponsoring bills and propelling the passage through the state. Authors, Alicia Koslowski, Jamie Becker-Finn , Senator Mary Kunesh. 

*Minnesota lawmakers establish the Gaagige-M​ikwendaagoziwag reward account with the State during the 2022-2023 legislative session - The name of the statewide reward account is called “Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag” meaning in Ojibwe (They will be Remembered Forever)

We are honored the “Gaagige Mikwendaagoziwag” name was carried over to the statewide reward account in recognition, and to be apart of establishing this historical reward account with the state of Minnesota. The Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Account was appropriated  $250,000 to support the reward account, community led MMIR efforts and awareness. 

A historical event for MMIWg2S, MMIR families and grassroots efforts. ###

5/19/2023 Press Release: Announcement Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag

Updated 5/20/2024 to include partners, collaborations, video link and sharable copy with logo

5/19/2023 Press Release & Updates - Shared During Annual Events Hosted in Duluth MN, Honoring Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives , and with Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Comittee Partners Updates and News from Gaagige Mikwendaagoziwag  https://updateandnews.wixsite.com/gaagige-mikwendaag-1

Media Contact: Native Lives Matter Coalition / nlmcoalition@gmail.com

Resources:

Video Link: https://www.facebook.com/100064454631259/videos/1062092947967559 https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/52/laws.5.24.0#laws.5.24.0 https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2909&y=2023&ssn=0

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/mmir/Pages/reward-fund.aspx https://updateandnews.wixsite.com/gaagige-mikwendaag-1/news-1/-almanac-north---core-conversations%3A-missing-%26-murdered---gaagige-mikwendaagoziwag-announcement