Indigenous Runner Jordan Daniel Uses Her Platform to Advocate for MMIW

Indigenous runner Jordan Daniel dedicated every mile of the Boston Marathon to missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls.

“It blows my mind that 26 names for 26 miles, like the fact that I can even say 26…It’s not even telling the whole picture,” she explained.
Daniel has used her platform as an Indigenous runner to highlight what she calls a “national crisis.” Nearly 6,000 indigenous women and girls were reported in 2016. Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Native women.

Jordan painted a red handprint over her mouth for the Boston Marathon which symbolizes the silent voices of the “stolen sisters.”

“You know, leading into the couple days before the race, I was trying to do research, just names that I could find. And there were some that, you know, a lot of people do know that did make national news, but there are so many others that just haven’t even made the news,” she stated. “With every mile that I hit, I said that name, I looked down at it, and I just said a prayer and hoping that there is justice for her, for her family, and for the communities that are involved.”

Recorded data on MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) has always been sparse. Out of the nearly 6,000 women reported missing in 2016, the Department of Justice only listed 116 cases in their missing person’s database.