Community Post - Sam

Wind River was a heartbreaking movie that shed light on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and the challenges in pursuing those cases. Native women are far more likely to go missing than other women but the U.S. has not made nearly enough of an effort to address it. The investigators in the movie faced obstacle after obstacle in pursuing the murderer—the medical examiner who refused to list the death as a homicide, the FBI unit Jane could not call in as a result, the arguments over who has jurisdiction over the land, the vulnerability of being in such a remote area, and more. It powerfully portrayed these difficulties and the devastating grief of the families affected. But throughout, it also emphasized the moving strength and resilience in Native communities and the capacity to recover. Though it was really hard to watch, this is such an important story with an arresting call to action.