American writers draws attention to issue of MMIWG
- Troy Isnana | July 01, 2018
Award-winning writer Ruth H. Hopkins, a proud Dakota/Lakota woman, found her passion in writing on missing and murdered Indigenous women – a subject that hits close to home.
“I have had some relatives missing and murdered as in family, but I mainly mean as people who belong to my tribe and other native nations,” she said during a message via Twitter.
Indigenous women from her tribe in North Dakota (ND) have disappeared over the years. Hopkins noticed there was slight media attention on the injustices Indigenous women face.
The grisly tragedy of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind from ND, who was eight months pregnant at the time of her death, captured Hopkin’s attention.
“She’s Dakota like me lived in the same town as me. I knew some of her relatives from when I was Chief Judge at Spirit Lake,” she said.
In an online publication, Indian Country Today, Hopkins reported that Lafontaine-Greywind was 22-years-old when she went missing and that she was a mother to four children. Days later, her remains were found. Uncovering the details of the murder, Hopkins felt even more compelled to do more coverage on the topic of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Hopkins realized Indigenous people in Canada aren't much different than the tribes in the United States, who face violence and discrimination.
“Canada has done a much better job of covering missing and murdered Indigenous women than the U.S. has,” Hopkins said. “The U.S. is just beginning to recognize it.”
After her extensive coverage on missing and murdered Indigenous women, her stories generated attention. An editor at Teen Vogue reached out to her where she soon became a contributor for the magazine earlier this year.
Her work with Teen Vogue consists of various topics such as missing and murdered Indigenous women and cultural appropriation.
Hopkins work has been featured in numerous U.S. publications such as The Huffington Post, The Washington Post and The New York Times.