During a rally for missing and murdered Indigenous people at the Arizona Capitol on March 18, 2025, Jared Marquez (left) from the San Carlos Apache Tribe leaned over and placed a red handprint over young Taylor Martin Suniga’s mouth to honor and support MMIP. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror
With his left hand covered in red paint, Jared Marquez leaned over and placed it over young Taylor Martin Suniga’s mouth, adorning the young child with a red handprint symbolizing honor and support for missing and murdered Indigenous people.
“He wanted to get the handprint,” the six-year-old Taylor’s grandmother, Bertha Suniga, said. “We’re here to support all missing and murdered Indigenous people.”
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More than a dozen people stood in front of Marquez to get a red handprint on their faces during a rally to raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous people at the Arizona State Capitol on Tuesday.
“It doesn’t take a huge amount of people to make a difference,” said Reva Stewart, the founder of Turtle Island Women Warriors. “We are their voice and we will continue to be their voice.”
Turtle Island Women Warriors is a non-profit supporting and advocating for Indigenous people impacted by the ongoing MMIP and sober living home fraud crisis.
“We’ll continue this so we’re heard,” she said, adding that her team organized the rally at the capitol because the state legislature’s annual session is still in progress.
“They heard us,” Stewart said.
Their presence at the Capitol shows lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs that Indigenous people are not giving up.
“We do this in prayer, we don’t do this out of anger,” Stewart said. “There’s no reason to do it out of anger, because people have lost their lives.”
Several people rallied alongside Stewart and her team, holding signs that read “Justice for Natives” or “MMIW.” They shouted chants like “Justice for Natives” and “Stolen people, stolen benefits.”
The group walked from nearby Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, circling the patio in front of the Capitol before marching around the block.
“We shall not be silenced,” Marquez told the crowd in front of the Capitol building. “We stand in solidarity for those that can not be here.”
After rallying in front of the Capitol, the group marched back to Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza before concluding with a prayer.
At the end of the march, Christa Miles of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community stood holding a sign that read, “Invisible No More” on one side and “Justice for all our Native people” on the other.
She was one of many who attended the rally to honor Emily Pike and all missing and murdered Indigenous peoples.
“I have three daughters. I am fighting for them,” Miles said. What happened to Emily could happen to anyone, she explained.
Emily, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, went missing in January. Her remains were found on Feb. 14 outside of Globe, in a remote area off of U.S. Route 60.
Rallying at the Capitol with all the others, Miles said it feels like someone will listen because “we’re not just one voice, we’re many.”
“We can’t be ignored,” she said, adding that rallying as a community increases their chances of being heard because they’re all fighting for the same thing.
Stewart said their group hosted the rally to raise awareness and build momentum for MMIP, especially after what happened to Emily Pike.
“We’ll use our voices for Emily until she gets justice,” she said.
Stewart said keeping up the momentum for MMIP is important because Native lives matter. She understands what it feels like to hear from families with missing loved ones. She has helped families create missing person posters and assisted them in contacting various agencies to locate missing relatives.
She has also walked the streets looking for people and hung up dozens of missing person flyers, including one for her 15-year-old granddaughter in December 2024.
Stewart said her granddaughter ran away from a group home in Phoenix and was missing for two and half weeks before they found her in Maricopa.
“She’s home with me. She’s safe,” she said. “I am thankful for my team because we went out every day and looked for her.”
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This post was originally authored and published by Shondiin Silversmith from AZ Mirror via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
