Bemidji MMIW 218 walk and conference to honor, educate, mobilize community

Minnesota reported 732 Indigenous missing-person cases in 2025, and 64.3% of them involved Indigenous women. That crisis will sit at the center of Bemidji’s annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives walk and conference, a free community gathering scheduled for Sunday, May 3, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sanford Center.

The day will begin with a walk from the Paul and Babe statues at Paul Bunyan Park to the Sanford Center, followed by lunch and a conference program. Organizers have said the event is meant to do more than remember the missing. It is designed to build advocacy, education and public awareness around the overlapping harms faced by Indigenous families across northern Minnesota.

Audrianna Goodwin said the gathering is about “creating advocacy and education” around the many intersections of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives. Valahlena Steeprock said the march brings a “healing sensation” and helps raise community awareness. Those goals reflect the work of MMIW 218, which formed nine years ago in response to disproportionate violence in Indigenous communities. In Bemidji’s February event last year, about 100 marchers took part, and Red Lake runners covered 37 miles in solidarity.

The May 3 conference will move from the walk into a series of sessions focused on practical support and community response. The program includes a plenary period, a healthy relationships session led by Planned Parenthood, a discussion of Indigenous feminism, a women’s empowerment session with Aazhide Kingbird, and a session on sexual abuse in the elder community with Support Within Reach. An activity room will stay open throughout the day, and the event will end with a closing session and a community giveaway.

The lead-up begins even earlier. A sign-making night is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the Northwest Indian Community Development Center, 1819 Bemidji Ave. N., giving residents a chance to prepare messages, bring supplies and take part before the walk itself begins.

The timing also places Bemidji’s event between two major observances: February 14, recognized as a Day of Remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, and May 5, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit Relatives. Minnesota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office says it was created after a 2020 task force report and is the first office of its kind in the nation.

State data makes clear why the issue remains urgent. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says an average of 63 Indigenous Minnesotans were missing on any given day in 2025. The state’s MMIR Office says Indigenous women make up less than 1% of Minnesota’s population but account for 5.6% of reported missing persons and 11.8% of reported missing females. In Bemidji, organizers are using the walk, the conference and the public visibility of Paul and Babe to keep that crisis in front of the community.