Dozens appear at Oklahoma Capitol in support of MMIP Awareness Day
Tribal nations, advocacy organizations and state agencies gathered at the front steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol Monday to raise awareness and advocate for support of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis.
The event was held in honor of MMIP Awareness Day, which falls on May 5 of each year. Those in attendance advocated for better collaboration between law enforcement agencies and media organizations.
Attendees wore shirts honoring their loved ones and held posters of victims who remain missing, and sang songs of honor for those lost to the crisis.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous-Chahta, a non-profit advocacy group working alongside the Choctaw Nation, handed out pamphlets detailing their services for those who may need them. Among them was Choctaw citizen and Vice Chairman Jennifer Spainhour.
“I’d say we’re more of a survivor advocacy group, than a victim one,” she said. “Our family members and relatives that we serve… They don’t want to take on that victim mentality. They’re ready to stand and they’re ready to become that next person.”
She said these events are important because they serve as a voice for those lost.
“Today, we're the voice. We are here to be the voice for our families. We are here to be the voice for our relatives and to be the voice for our tribal nations,” she said. “We’re here to show that we are standing in solidarity with our sisters, our brothers, our mothers, our families. We will not be quiet. This is a true crisis, and we are going to stand together united.”
Other groups who appeared included the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Choctaw Freedmen Representative Ron Stewart, who gave updates on Ida’s Law and the latest MMIP statistics.
As of 2024, Oklahoma ranked second in the nation for MMIP cases. At that time, the state had 86 missing tribal members.
Recently, the remains of Cherokee Nation citizen Aubrey Dameron, who went missing in 2019, were found within the Picher superfund site of rural Ottawa County, just north of Commerce. She was 25 when she disappeared.
Grand Opening of the Pawnee Nation Behavioral Health Facility
Pawnee Reserve, Oklahoma -The Pawnee Nation partnered with Ascension Recovery Services to host the official Grand Opening of the 22,000-square-foot, 26-bed adult/geriatric inpatient and outpatient behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment facility, the Pawnee Nation Behavioral Health Facility.
Adrian Spottedhorsechief, 2nd Resaru for the Kitkahaki Band, led the ceremony. The newly crowned 2025-2026 Pawnee Nation Princess, Cora Pratt, was designated for the invocation and beautifully performed the Lord’s Prayer. Speakers included Brian Kirk (Program Manager), Gilbert Beard, 1st Resaru, and Bruce Pratt.
The Pawnee Nation also collaborated with KKT Architects. Baker Tilly helped pool capital for the construction costs.
According to Baker Tilly, “The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma partnered with Ascension Recovery Services, an industry leader in developing comprehensive, fully integrated behavioral health systems for vulnerable populations who are uninsured or underinsured, to design the facility’s welcoming, accommodating programming, tailored for the ethnically diverse Tribal community that has not historically had access to treatment.”
The facility also provides local, accessible treatment for the predominantly rural five-county service area, including both native and non-native members, who previously were forced to travel more than 40 miles to Tulsa to seek quality behavioral and mental health treatment.
Nike N7 Youth Movement Field Day boosts sports, community and cultural enrichment at OSU
STILLWATER, Okla. – The sound of children playing and coaches cheering rang out from Gallagher Iba Arena April 2, 2025, during the 10th annual Nike N7 Youth Movement Field Day at Oklahoma State University (OSU).
The event brought together First American youth from across the state for a day of sports, culture and community.
Hosted by the Chickasaw Nation and the OSU Center for Sovereign Nations in collaboration with the OSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Nike’s N7 program, the event encouraged physical wellness and cultural engagement through a variety of activities for students from third to eighth grade.
Collegiate athletes coached and supported students as they participated in basketball, kickball, football and traditional stickball.
“My favorites are the basketball station and the stickball station,” Chickasaw seventh grader Nannola Wallace said.
The event provided a platform for youth to connect with peers from different schools and tribal nations while engaging in teambuilding sports promoting physical wellness.
“It’s been fun having them help us get better at everything,” Chickasaw fifth grader Kaden Gore said about the OSU student athletes helping field day attendees participating in games.
The field day also offered First American youth interested in a future sports career the chance to engage with college athletes and ask questions about the OSU sports program.
“This is probably one of our most influential events, especially with our middle school to junior high kids,” Trevan Jimboy, director of youth activities for the Chickasaw Nation, said. “Getting to meet college athletes, getting to meet a lot of Native American athletes, I think allows our youth to feel that the next level of sports is attainable.”
Students not necessarily interested in pursuing sports outside of primary school also benefit from the event. Many experiencing a university environment for the first time, Nike N7 Youth Movement Field Day allows children to envision future educational opportunities.
“You get to meet a lot of athletes that speak well about college,” Jimboy said. “I think that helps on the broader scope of things.”
The event also featured guest speaker Lana Duke, a Chickasaw citizen. Duke established the N7 Youth Movement Field Day at OSU her freshman year of college as a student athlete in 2014.
“I had this vision of stations in Gallagher Iba and who to involve in the community,” Duke said. “I reached out to our tribal nations, the Chickasaw Nation, Eagle Adventure and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.”
Duke, a former OSU women’s soccer player, wanted to model the field day after OU’s N7 event hosted in 2013.
“The first year was a lot of grunt work,” Duke said. “Then from there, it grew to where it is now.”
More than 400 First American youth registered for the 2025 OSU N7 Youth Field Day. A powwow organized by OSU’s SAAC, as well as an autograph session with OSU student-athletes, added to the day’s highlights.
As part of Nike’s N7 initiative, which supports Indigenous communities through cultural and physical wellness programs, the event reinforced the importance of movement, health and community connections.
Through partnerships like this, First American youth are provided with opportunities to explore their interests, develop leadership skills and build a foundation for future success.
