Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation hosts fourth annual 5K walk for MMIP crisis

The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation hosted its fourth annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples 5K walk to help bring attention to the ongoing crisis, while also pushing for systemic reforms and improved data reporting. 

“Every step taken in this 5K is in support of those who have become a victim of violence and those still missing that they have not been forgotten,” Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Youth Committee Vice Chair and MMIP Advocate Audrey Hernandez said. 

“This walk is about bringing attention to this crisis and supporting survivors and their families as a community. We are stronger together and serve as a voice to ensure these stories are told. This epidemic has gone on for far too long and we won’t stop the work until every missing person is found and families find the justice they deserve.”

The event served as a “visible call to action” ahead of MMIP Awareness Month in May, helping to build issue awareness, advocacy and healing. The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation welcomed over 200 participants at California State University, San Bernardino, organized by the Tribe’s MMIP Advocacy Group. 

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), indigenous people are over three times as likely to be reported missing as the general population, while Native people represent 3.5% of active cases in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 

Many of the 5K attendees wore red face paint or traditional regalia and walked to honor stolen relatives, support survivors and reaffirm that Native American communities will not be left to stand alone.