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<\/p>\r\n• PHOTOS: Not Invisible Act and Savanna\u2019s Act at U.S. Capitol<\/a><\/strong>\r\n <\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Countless hours of tribal official and grassroots advocacy for missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) and their families paid off September 21, when lawmakers here in the nation\u2019s capital sent Savanna\u2019s Act and the Not Invisible\u00a0Act of 2019 to the President for his signature.\r\n <\/p>\r\nSavanna\u2019s Act, introduced in the Senate in 2017, spent years coming to the vote. It aims to makes law enforcement accountable for responding to MMIW cases, improving communication between federal, state, and tribal officials.\r\n <\/p>\r\nIt also increases data collection related to these cases by requiring the Department of Justice to maintain a nationwide database for MMIW.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\u201cThis is very personal to every Indigenous woman. Most Indigenous women have a story of a friend or relative who has gone missing or has been murdered,\u201d Marci McLean, executive director of Western Native Voice, responded.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\u201cWith the passage of Savanna\u2019s Act, they are going to be seen and heard, and their stories will be told,\u201d she said in a written statement. \u201cThere is still so much work that needs to be done and when the bill is signed, it will open up the conversation on a national level to address root causes of the widespread violence and injustice towards Indigenous women and all women of color,\u201d she added.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\u201cA proactive and preventative approach for our communities is vital towards building a safer future with unity and human dignity upheld by all agencies involved.\u201d\r\n <\/p> <\/p>\r\nJoining her in the statement was Lisa Casarez, a member of North Dakota Native Vote\u2019s Board of Directors and of the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, Three Affiliated Tribes of the Ft. Berthold Indian Reservation.\r\n <\/p>\r\n“The passing of this bill would mean a lot to Indian country, and although it won\u2019t bring Savanna back, it can provide Savanna and her family some semblance of justice,\u201d Casarez said. \u201cThis can be one good thing that comes from a horrible murder that has happened right here in our own state and has affected Native communities across North Dakota and beyond.\u201d\r\n <\/p>\r\nThe act is named after Savanna Greywind, a pregnant 22-year-old North Dakota woman and member of the Spirit Lake Tribe who was brutally murdered in 2017. Indigenous women face more violence than any other group.\r\n <\/p>\r\nSavanna\u2019s Act is supported by the National Congress of American Indians, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Seattle Indian Health Board, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Washington, Alaska Native Women\u2019s Resource Center, Western Native Voice, Friends Committee on National Legislation, All Pueblo Council of Governors (representing 20 pueblos), Intertribal Association of Arizona (representing 21 tribal nations), United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund (representing 27 tribal nations), Muckleshoot Tribe of Washington, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and Navajo Nation.\r\n <\/p>\r\n "Next stop for our bills to keep Indigenous people from disappearing is the President\u2019s desk": Legislation to address the crisis of missing and murdered loved ones, especially women and girls, is almost law. @RepDebHaaland<\/a> #SavannasAct<\/a> #NotInvisible<\/a> #MMIW<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/8XBrvnFfME<\/a><\/p>— indianz.com (@indianz) September 30, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> ![\"marcimclean\"](\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/marcimclean.jpg\")