Injury & Violence Prevention INdepth
Injury & Violence Prevention INdepth
Mobilizing for Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives
Host Mighty Fine talks with Jolene Holgate, Co-Founder and Board President of the Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives (MMDR). This group was established in March 2019 to address the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered relatives on the Navajo Nation. It is comprised of a multidisciplinary team tasked with developing a framework to establish a Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives data institute, encourage community action, and develop a missing persons community action toolkit to empower Navajo communities to be proactive in prevention, awareness, and mobilization to recover missing relatives and to provide support to families of MMDR.
Website: https://navajommdr.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NavajoMMDR/
Welcome to the Injury and Violence Prevention INdepth podcast. My name is Mighty Fine and I'm the host of the Safe States Alliance production. In this space, we'll engage in dialogue with IVP professionals on a variety of issues to help inform our listeners on the latest trends and hot topics in injury and violence prevention. Today's episode is sponsored by the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research, or SAVIR, that's SAVIR. And SAVIR is a professional organization that provides leadership and fosters excellence in the science of preventing and treating injury and violence. Be sure to learn more about the great work that they're doing by checking out their website at savirweb.org. That's savirweb.org. On today's episode, I have the pleasure of talking with Jolene Holgate, who was the Missing and Murdered Dine' Relatives or MMDR supervisory board chair. She'll talk with us today about some pressing issues happening within our indigenous communities. And I'm so excited to get started. So let's dive right in. Jolene, I'm so excited to be talking with you today, looking forward to our conversation. And our listeners are certainly in for a treat. And I know you shared some of your background with me previously, but I think it would be great for them to learn a little bit more about you before we jump into our conversation. So tell us a little bit about yourself. And in the work that you're doing in this area.
Jolene Holgate:Yeah, thank you Mighty. Well, I am so happy to have been invited to talk about these really important issues. And to talk a little bit about why they're important as well. And my background is started actually in policy. So I did policy around domestic violence and sexual violence. And I am a member and a citizen of the Navajo Nation. And so like my heart, my passion, all of that is where it comes from. And it comes from community. And I am currently the board president for the Missing and Murdered Dine' Relatives Coalition, which is a nonprofit organization. We started out as a grassroots group in 2018. And it just culminated into a space where not only advocates are a part of the work, but I'm taking an interdisciplinary approach to how we're supporting families of this crisis. And yeah, and I'm from a small community called Shonto. On the Navajo Nation, we got more sheep than people there. And it's near the Utah border. So as folks are familiar with like Monument Valley, I'm like down the road from Monument Valley. So that's a little bit about me, who I am and how I got involved with this work.
Mighty Fine:Great. Thanks for sharing that. And thanks for the nod to some of the geography as well, helping us to recognize where you're situated. So you mentioned MMDR in that coalition and be great for us to hear about the mission and how that mission recognizes the unique cultural context of this special population. And in addition to that, it be great to hear from you how you work to achieve this mission. Yeah,
Jolene Holgate:definitely. So the MMDR what it stands for is missing and murdered dinner relatives. As Navajo people, we call ourselves by our traditional name, which is dinette, and it means the people. And we also want it to make sure that we were inclusive of all relatives experiencing this crisis. And that's why we like to use the term relatives. So Missing and Murdered Dine' Relatives was actually established in March 2018. Through the grassroots efforts of Navajo women, their intent and commitment was wanting to create some social change, supporting families and communities and providing advocacy efforts that promote sovereignty, and agency of our people and our community base work. Of course, the part of that is pushing back against some of the systems that have either created challenges or caused harm to Navajo families. And though they're the populations who are in desperate need of support during a missing or murdered crisis, so our strategic plan is led by community, and it was actually developed with the voice of community in mind. So we identified key areas of support through the voices and thought leadership of our dinette communities and families. So in May 2022, we officially became a nonprofit. We realized that to gain access to some of the resources as reluctant as we were to be honest, because it's so much easier operating as a little grassroots group definitely.
Mighty Fine:To get some of those dollars you need that 501c3 status, right?
Jolene Holgate:Yes. So, so we're navigating that together. So much of our work centered on community organizing collaboration working with families. And a big part of that, too, is holding tribal leadership accountable. The powers that be the people who have the power and the resources, and the responsibility to be supporting their community members as they're navigating this, a part of our voices also calling for accountability. And much of our work now is starting to shift towards healing spaces. And doing that in a very trauma informed way. And we are also working on developing a training, training for advocacy. So those who want to work with families that are experiencing a missing and murdered crisis, we can give them the tools and knowledge on how to advocate that. But also, it was really important for us to like know, our data. So like achieving this work, meant that we had to know what was happening. And we did this through public forums, I believe we had five or six in the last two or three years. And we got feedback from community on what was really important to them, what they're needing, what type of resources should be out there. And it really had a spring up conversations of like, what's effective? And what is a, you know, how do we do this in an equitable way that is serving all of our relatives. So yeah, so if all these different types of approaches that we're taking, yeah,
Mighty Fine:I love that. And I think it's so great that you all are intentional, and including relatives. So it's the idea of bringing people in and helping them to understand how it's a collective issue and we can work collectively to, to address it. I think it's also really important that you throughout the conversation thus far, you really overemphasize the inclusion of community and how they've helped to co create, and it being a truly collaborative process and where so people see themselves as contributing and recognizing the magnitude of this issue. So that's fantastic. And someone who has used healing circles in some of my work, it's so great to recognize sort of the genesis of that and where it comes from, and how it's applied in communities outside of native communities as well, but borrowing some of those practices. So again, it resonates very much with me in some of the work that I'm doing. So So Thanks for sharing.
Jolene Holgate:I think a lot of that comes from like, like, we know, our history. We know what happened, we know all of the struggles and the pain that like not only Navajo people, but indigenous people in our black relatives have endured, not only informs our work, and we know that right? And I think it's an opportunity for us to like, let's talk about joy. Let's talk about healing, let's talk about like, what is, you know, what is it going to take for me to feel safe in my body to feel safe in my spirit, and to feel like I am supported? And really it starts that community? So that's something I know, like, a lot of communities are beginning to explore, like, what does it feel just to feel good?
Mighty Fine:Yeah, I love that. I often say like, you know, my, my sort of way of life is tapping into pockets of joy, you know, recognizing there are tons of things happening around us that we wish we could change sort of like in a blink of an eye or snapping a finger. And it's not to undermine the, the depth of what's we know what's happening to our folks and our relatives. To your point, though, I really like this idea of celebrating the wins and, and tapping into that joy as a collective. So we're pulling each other up throughout these seemingly tumultuous time. So thank you for elevating that. And, and thinking about you mentioned this already, like there's a lot going on, right? What are some of the most pressing issues related to the work that you're currently working to address, be great for you to just give us some insight into that. Okay.
Jolene Holgate:Um, some of the pressing issues that we're seeing right now is, people want to know how to help. They want to know, like, what can I do for the families or what, you know, what capacity do I need to be a part of this group and a part of this work? And so we're developing a trauma informed training for advocates, and this is stemming from our missing persons community toolkit. And we created this toolkit in collaboration with Navajo Nation missing persons updates, which is led by the fearless Meskee Yatsayte. And she's actually one of our board members, and she's also a co founder of the MMDR coalition. And we are utilizing this toolkit not only to like collect data, but it shows families like how to navigate this stuff like even things like, how do you file a missing persons report? What law enforcement agency are you supposed to call, even like best practices to protect yourself like when you're working with media. So in this toolkit, it helps families navigate all of those pieces. And we're translating that toolkit into a trauma informed training, where we can help people who want to become advocates navigate that as well. And so we have like a lot of resources on our website that we're able to offer and direct people towards. So that's something that we're has been really pressing. And then the other piece, as I mentioned, is healing. And we had our first healing event. On Monday, actually, like I said, we we wanted to create spaces for families who experienced this crisis. So we, we contracted a arts and crafts expert, and they made holiday wreaths. Right, so we got supplies and all of the things and they made Christmas wreaths, and they just had a chance to like be together in a space that wasn't just talking about their stories are reliving those traumas that they are there with their kids, their families, and the people who are also in the struggle together. Just to promote, you know, support and healing and solidarity and to let them know that they're not alone. So we're anticipating future healing spaces, talking circles. My dream is to have a even like a retreat space, where families and advocates can have workshops on how like they're navigating all of the things so. And then the other piece to that is collaboration. So right now, we are working with four corners canine search and rescue. Now, I don't know if people know but the Navajo Nation is over. And correct me if I'm wrong, Zoey 27,000 square miles. And that is a huge geographic area. So it meant that we had other amazing community organizers who have two German shepherds who are trained search dogs, and they're all certified in search and rescue and everything. And so we're sharing resources with them so that they're feeling not only supported, but just to increase solidarity and ensure that they're also a resource for families to use, should a relative go missing and maybe like a rural area. And they have a mobile command center. Where if wherever someone might have gone missing, they can just take their trailer there and take their dogs. And they have volunteers who can go on foot or even horseback or on a those four wheelers, like ATV. And so yeah, so that's also a part of our work is like how are we also uplifting, other organizations that are doing this work with a side by side, but in like a different capacity. And I can talk about we have like several more things that are happening. But I think those are the three key things that we're focusing on, is the toolkit. And oh, and then one more thing that was really important is that we worked and collaborated with Cellular One. And they're a telecommunications company, who gave us who gifted us 10 cell phones. And it's a pilot project right now. So when families are going through the investigative stages of their loved ones case, there can be intimidation and threats by those who are opposing, right. So to think about their safety, Sylar one offered these phones and services to family so that they have a safety number, meaning that their personal information doesn't have to be out there. Because in some of these cases, they are murder cases. And they do receive threats and intimidation from the opposing side. So we're also thinking about, like safety planning, and how are we keeping our family safe as well.
Mighty Fine:So lots happening for sure. A few things that resonated with me, I really liked, as I mentioned before, this over emphasis of community and connection, because we know the benefits of social cohesion and connectedness as a protected fact protective factor, excuse me, for a myriad of of adverse health outcomes. So I think that's really fantastic that you all have an emphasis on that and creating space for folks to get together and celebrate. And in some ways, right. The other piece, too, I think that's critically important, as you mentioned, sort of the collaboration and partnerships, and recognizing that this isn't, there's not a singular way to address this issue. And resources are certainly needed. So finding ways to engage with folks who can support the works. I think that's critically important, which leads into my next question, thinking about you mentioned Some sectors are ready. But what more can other sectors do to help elevate the issue of murdered and missing native people? And I know we sort of jumped right into the conversation. But if there's any additional context you would like to provide around the issue. And then again, thinking about how can other sectors for those folks listening in, what more can we be doing to elevate this issue?
Jolene Holgate:So the missing and murdered crisis is not something that's, you know, just unique to the Navajo Nation, many folks know it as MMIW, or MMIWR -Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. And this movement started in the 1970s, by relatives up north in Canada. And along this corridor, it's like 400 plus kilometers, I think. And it's called the Highway of Tears, because Indigenous women in that area were being picked up, murdered, sexually assaulted and just left on that highway because it wasn't patrolled. And it was just so easy to get away with, right. So the MMIW movement started there. But we know that this is an ongoing crisis that started since the onset of colonization, I think it is a space of empowerment that have brought indigenous communities together to name it, because we know what's happening, right? So some of the ways that folks can uplift the work. And what's happening is to share this information on social media. There's a lot of organizations out there, not just MMDR that yes, please share our stuff as well. But there's a lot of MMIW organizations, maybe that might be in your area. And I think the best way to look is like Facebook, to be honest, I think that's how we've gotten connected with a lot of the other organizations, and also to share some of the anti violence, toolkits and things like that messaging that you'll see from other organization, who may not just do MMI w are because what we're also recognizing is that folks have to include into their conversations and their work, issues around intimate partner violence, sexual violence, because those are true indicators of what can lead up to a person being murdered or going missing. The shelter that I work with they they was helping, that, you know, a woman that they were working with, she no longer comes by. And a few weeks later, they would find out that, you know, her partner killed her. So some of the questions or some of the, I think things that folks can center is talking about intimate partner violence, talking about domestic violence and sexual violence, and even suicide rate, those types of things are indicators that put folks in a vulnerable state. Also, like get the pulse on what's happening in your community volunteering at MMIWR events are rallies, that would be really helpful. We're able to support some folks who want to use their voices to call attention to this issue by protesting, or rallies, or even like prayer vigils or memorial vigils is like just to be their support. It feels good when families know that a lot of people know the message is going out there. And that there's people supporting them in that moment. And something that's been really Lastly, like one thing that has been really unique to our group is we really did take an entire interdisciplinary approach. I want to use like Zoey as an example, right? She's in injury prevention. She taught us. Injury Prevention has been like a blessing to what we're doing, because it's really helped us understand the connections of violence, as it relates to like public health or like, how are we creating safety? Things like that has really been clarified. And that's really important. So if you feel like your skills and health or injury prevention doesn't fit with these things, like with MMIWR Yes, they do. So my recommendation would be like collaborate maybe with like a grassroots organization because your expertise can matter. I certainly have learned a lot from Zoey, though he helped us get our data life together. She's helped us facilitate conversations that we didn't know how to navigate because many of us are just, you know, grassroots people that want to do this, but we don't know how. So we need those types of expertise that can help us. So yes, your skills are so important. And then offering resources or sharing resources is really important. Determine how like your program can support. What do you offer, even if it's just like printing flyers or maybe like offering an intern? That would be helpful as though we had an intern for a time and they would push some pieces for us forward. And they also got to learn and so it was like a sharing of knowledge and it was done. In the spirit of reciprocity and growing the interns capacity to. So there's many ways that different sectors can help support this work. And I hope those are out there something that resonates with you all. Yeah,
Mighty Fine:and I think I think you gave a lot for folks to chew on and just to give Zoey a shout out if you want to just speak briefly about that connection and sort of where she was sector she's in so folks listening in can make the connection. Yeah.
Jolene Holgate:So Dr. Zoey McKenzie is an injury prevention Okay. specialist from Navajo area, Indian Health Service. And she brought a lot of her skills to the work we're doing. And she was invited by one of her other co founders, council delegate, Amber Kanazbah Crotty, and really clarify like what these connections are, and why it's important that we understand how injury prevention factors into anti violence work, and has always been a part of this. Since that time, and even the development of our missing persons community toolkit. She gave us models of best practices. And just really, like her knowledge supplemented a lot of how we were standardizing our processes. And that has been so helpful. And also so he's just been showing up to everything. And her solidarity, her passion, her heart has made an impact with us. And she definitely is a part of our group, like no matter what can I say she's, and I know, she's a veterinarian, and she helped me say my cap and times.
Mighty Fine:There's a, there's a cherry on top, but I think it speaks to the importance of partnership. And as you mentioned earlier, sort of your call to action is, even if you think you may not have a role here, there's a role here for you, and a way for you to elevate your skills, your expertise, again, to address this critically important topic. So shout out to Zoey in all the work that she's doing with you all. And sort of you mentioned some of this earlier already, and be great to have you expand upon it as you see fit. But what are some successes of your work that you'd like to highlight? Or what are some aspects of the work that have brought you joy that you think listeners should should should hear?
Jolene Holgate:I think collaboration and relationship building. Being in community with people also means that we have to be intentional in how we're developing those relationships together, we make it a practice that we're not extracting without the spirit of reciprocity. And we also have set boundaries to have like, what we want to share and all of that. But we feel like those types of collaboration and relationship building is what made us very successful, whether that was with injury prevention, or someone who does, like community assessments. Or even like an auntie who has traditional knowledge that is guiding our work. We have folks in our team that are very in tune with our Navajo wellness model, our Navajo ways of knowing and being and their knowledge is really what takes care of us and then calling into, on our cultural ways. We had a ceremony together as a collective. And we asked for protection. And we asked for healing and support from our, you know, the powers that be beyond things that we can't see. And to keep us strong in this work, because it's really heavy. So collaboration for us is really important, and continuing to strengthen those relationships. And I think also just supporting one another and sharing in this passion. And you really find the people who are committed to this work. It's not we don't get like to be honest, we're pretty much doing this, like voluntarily. But it's because we understand our responsibility to our relatives and to our community. And that's how we've operated as Navajo people. And, of course, we want to uplift healing. As I mentioned, we know our history. And we're just ready to embrace all the good things, all the joys all the wins that we have. And I think lastly, what's been very important for us is calling for accountability. We drafted recommendations for the Navajo Nation over the years, and they actually implemented some of those recommendations into some of the government responsibilities and the programs that they oversee. And that certainly has opened up and took some of that off of our plate. And it feels good to be seen and heard in that way that we're always going to call for accountability because we understand that this is a issue that's happening. And it's important that our tribal leaders and those who are able to make a change with the power and resources, they have to continue to make that change, as well. Yeah,
Mighty Fine:That's great. That's some great advancement in the work that you all are doing. And I also, again, throughout this conversation, really appreciate the intentional collaboration and partnership. And like you said, the reciprocity. So there is a little bit of giving and taking, for lack of a better description, but it's bi directional, you know, so everyone is feeling as as, as if they're satiated in their relationship and are able to contribute in an effective manner. So I think that is a great example, for other folks who are doing work, where sometimes you're like, oh, bring this person to the table, but the person is at the table, and they don't really have a role here, it sounds like your collaborators are activated. And everybody again, is feeling as if they belong, and have an opportunity to fully contribute. So kudos to you all in the Coalition for for making that a core tenant of the work or at least the way I'm receiving it. Thank you. Oh, of course. And I had a question I was going to ask, but I think you answered it a little, but feel free to add a little bit more. I was going to ask you about effective injury violence prevention partners that have supported your efforts. And we've talked about so we saw, I don't know if there's anything else you want to share about those partners and how they've engaged in your work with the coalition? Yes,
Jolene Holgate:Yeah. We have several partners like, like Navajo area, IHS, the Navajo Nation legislative branch, they've actually been very open to the things that we're doing. In fact, they created their own MMD, our task force. And sometimes they get confused with us. So we're like the outside nonprofit coalition. And they're the task force who are doing all of the things that you know, government should be doing to care for their people. Another big partner is MMI, who is missing. And they're very prominent on social media and their work also centers on MMIW And Navajo Nation missing persons updates muskies work, and they're a regular partner of ours, anything we do, they're always a part of it. And also, our funders and folks who actually elevated our work before we were even funded is like Indian collective Indian Collective is so like they are a powerful voice out there. And they saw that, you know, we are still in a process of capacity building. And they continue to share in their resources to really elevate the work we're doing so that we're according to their values, defending decolonizing, all of those things. It feels really great. And of course, four corners search and rescue, the coalition to stop violence against native women, which is the tribal coalition in New Mexico, restoring ancestral lands, the tribal coalition in Utah. And then southwest Indigenous women's Coalition, which is the tribal coalition in Arizona. So the Navajo Nation spans into three different states. And we just want to make sure like everyone's at the table, and we're doing this work. There's, we have a whole list like like Northern Arizona victim advocacy solver buddies Institute, we've also done some work with Northern Arizona University, University of New Mexico, Arizona State University. And we also had an intern from Johns Hopkins University for a time, I believe. And they also offered some resources and support to us. So it's really cool. Tonet College, we had a couple of professors who were really good at the public health side of things, and also taught us about data, Navajo Technical University. And of course, the families, the families, and the advocates are the folks that want to center. Without their voices in their heart and their passion, this work wouldn't be moving forward, they really inspire these brief spaces. And I just want to give a shout out to them, because we understand that it was really hard for them to come forward and tell their stories. And you know, it's tough, and we're here to be by their side while we're doing this work.
Mighty Fine:Absolutely. Yeah, I think that's all great in and it also showcases to me the intention, again, recognizing that there may be some overlap in the work that these different groups are doing. But there's intention in having that collaboration happen. And so it's not territorial. It's more collaborative because the sensibly everybody's working for the same goal, right, working towards the same goal. Again, that's just really great to hear. The last question I wanted to ask you is really to discuss the importance of cultural humility and health equity and, and those principles as underpinning or framing this work and just Stop talking about those pieces as it relates to the work that you're doing would be helpful.
Jolene Holgate:I think a lot of the teachings that like we have as Navajo people, it centers on balance. And if we're out of balance, you know, we have ceremonies and spiritual ways that bring us back into balance. So hardly do we ever say like, something's wrong with you, or, you know, you're the cause of this, and that, we just know, it's the imbalance of something. So we realize that there is an imbalance that's happening, we recognize that they are the issues, the problems. And a lot of that way of knowing is what's is what helps carry that work, culturally, and a part of that, too, is just having a trauma informed lens, and strengthening our advocacy skills. I think a lot of time when not just anti violence work, but any work that we have, we have to figure out and honor the dignity and the humanity of the people we're serving. And that means you have to have a trauma informed way of speaking, your body language, the spirit, you're bringing into that space, because people who are in crisis are already hyper vigilant, and they can pick up on all sorts of energies and things like that. And, you know, we can be kind. And we can offer that. In that moment. We use the Navajo wellness model. And I think also at the core of it is breaking cycles and community care. And what really inspired us. And taken a very collective approach was the case of Ashlyn Mike, an eight year old girl who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted, and she was killed in Shiprock. And our work really stems in the spirit of her. If you look at our logo, all of the colors you see in there were her favorite colors. Most mmm, aw, you know, folks use the color red. But for us, we wanted to honor her in that way. Because this is she was really the person, you know, that spurred the work we're doing. And it really affected us all so deeply. So we want to protect our children, we want to protect the most vulnerable, and the people who are experiencing things that they shouldn't have to be experiencing. And we want to break those cycles. So we want to make it okay to talk about these things. And to create spaces for healing is really, really what guides us. And I think when we think about safe and healthy communities, that means we're incorporating cultural aspects, and it creates health equity for everyone. So using our culture to inform us and tick itis, along with things like trauma informed advocacy, has really gotten us through all of the journeys that we have been on so. And that's where it comes from. I like the quote, Abigail Echo Hawk said, the answer is our community.
Mighty Fine:Absolutely, I will say just from this conversation that comes across very loud and clear to me, that community is certainly at the center of your work. So I think that quote is totally spot on, and reflective of the work that you all are doing. So kudos to you all. And hopefully the folks that are listening and learned as much as I did in this conversation, I'm thinking of other ways to continue this. After the podcast has concluded, and seeing where there are synergies between the work that we're doing and a lot that we can learn from the work that we're doing in, in being in partnership and community with you all thank you
Jolene Holgate:Gets a chance to share our message and share a little bit about the work that we're doing. And I think ways to support our organization is to share some of the postings that we have. If you know anyone who might be Navajo and are looking for resources, we can certainly help and if they aren't Navajo, we still have access to resources outside of Navajo Nation. If we're not able to offer it, we can do a soft handoff to someone that can help you so although our work is centered on the Navajo Nation, we are still down to help in any way that we can. Other ways of support of courses, resources, donations, things like that. That will help us our website is Navajo MMDR.org and you can kind of take a look at our toolkit that's there. And we also have a button there for donations if you'd like to support in that way. Just some advice that I always like to leave with people because we talk about Like our children and protecting them, is pay attention to what your children are doing. Honestly, some of the missing persons cases that we've had it really centered around like, like what they're doing, where they're going, even if they're like younger than 12 years old, like getting good pictures of them, and safety planning, and having those types of talks with your children. I know a lot of work centers on adults and people who are missing or who have gotten murdered. But it really starts in the home. And it starts with the protection of your children. And having these types of safe conversations and safety planning with your children. Not a means to like scare them, but as a means to make them feel empowered and have agency as they are growing and navigating the world. Yeah,
Mighty Fine:I think that's a great punctuation for the conversation. And again, it's been my pleasure having this discussion with you. And I look forward to staying in touch and continuing to follow the fantastic work of the coalition. So just thanks again.
Jolene Holgate:Thank you for having me.
Mighty Fine:As always, thanks for listening to IVP INdepth. If you want to learn more about the work that MMDR is doing, be sure to check them out on their socials at Navajo MMDR. That's@MMDR. You can email them with questions that are inspired by today's conversation at Navajo and mmdr@gmail.com. And also check out their website at navajo.mmdr.org. And as you're checking them out, be sure to also subscribe and listen to us this IVP INdepth on Apple podcast, Spotify or Google podcasts. You can also follow Safe States on X formerly known as Twitter at Safe States. The same for LinkedIn. And don't forget to check out our website at safestates.org For more injury and violence prevention tools and resources. Again, I like to thank our sponsor SAVIR for supporting Safe States and helping us to create space for programs such as this. This is your host Mighty Fine signing off and until next time, stay safe and injury free.