BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Students and community members came to CSUB to support the missing and murdered indigenous women in the country. Supporters say their cases are always looked over or forgotten & its time to speak up.
- Organizers invited community members to speak before the march & afterwards. Shining light on the stories, and experiences they have encountered.
- Over 50% of indigenous women have been physical abused by their partners in 2023 according to The National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College.
- The march took place on campus, and students and community members walked a mile protesting their beliefs.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Native and Indigenous student coalition at CSUB is speaking out about a serious issue. I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter.
The issue they're referring to is about indigenous women in Kern County who have been missing, murdered, and often forgotten.
According to National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College, Over 50% of indigenous women have been physically abused by their partners. With crime happening behind closed doors, murder is the third leading cause of death for indigenous women, which is 10x higher than any other ethnicity.
Marcilia Diaz the President of the Native and Indigenous Student Coalition at CSUB said "We really wanted to bring awareness to the fact that at a very high rate statistically, our indigenous women and people they tend to often go missing or murdered with no follow up investigations and no justice. We are really trying to bring awareness to the fact that these stories should not be silenced anymore."
That's why community members and students gathered at CSUB to hold a peaceful march throughout campus. Shining a light on a situation that is often ignored and forgotten about.
A community member said "It's a shame. We see that our indigenous community is suffering from the lack of transparency and care that this government brings. We can absolutely empathize with that because its happening to us as well in the Palestinian community. Regardless whether you are Latino, Black, or Asian, our struggles are interconnected."
Community members had a chance to speak up during the ceremony, revealing the stories they knew, the victims behind them, and how it has affected them as they've gotten older.
"Its definitely a thought in the back of your mind, of is this going to be me. Is this going to be someone that I know. Its very concerning but it shows that the fact that I can still be out today and still speak up and be that voice despite that concern. It shows how much I truly care about this and it needs to be spoken about." said Diaz
Organizers tell me these cases happen more often then we might expect, and until someone brings light to it, they say it’ll continue to happen leaving victims forgotten and their families searching for answers. For 23ABC, I’m Eric J. Dockery, your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter.
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