American Indian Academy of Denver Students Rally for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Ahead of School Closure

May 5th marks a national day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). The date comes with Indigenous-led efforts to raise public awareness around high rates of violence committed against Indigenous women and girls…and the lack of prosecution, or even adequate investigation, of the crimes.

Students from the American Indian Academy of Denver (AIAD) organized a rally on the steps of the state capitol Friday. The school will be closing at the end of May after the board of Denver Public Schools decided to shutter the academy after three years of operations.

Voices in this report include Raven Payment of the Colorado MMIW Task Force, AIAD founder Terri Bissonette, and AIAD parent and substitute teacher Hather Brown. Audio recorded by KGNU’s Verity Matthews.

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