Free Screening of Missing Murdered Unheard on Day of Remembrance

SLCC Division of Communication & Performing Arts Presents Missing Murdered Unheard. A documentary in collaboration with MMIW+ Utah and PANDOS. Told by Michelle Brown Chairwoman of MMIW+ Utah and Carl Moore Co-Founder of PANDOS.

Join us for the free event at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center Room in 204 & 205 at 7pm. Refreshments served after the screening. 

Watch the Trailer

Missing Murdered Unheard Synopsis

When a white woman goes missing, you can be sure you will see it in the media. The coverage is
usually so detailed that people become immersed in it and often find ways to help find the missing
person, or at least speculate about it. This isn’t the case when a person of color goes missing. It’s only
recently that the media has considered not using a mug shot as the missing person of colors photo.
Often, they are portrayed in a bad light, their past mistakes and flaws put on trial. As if to say, this
person may deserve what has happened to them.

Indigenous people are at a much higher risk for violence than any other group. The poor
portrayal, along with a long history of dehumanization and racism could be to blame. The native
American people have been systematically stripped of their culture, land and families with the
residential school that were said to “kill the Indian, not the man”. The loopholes in the law and the lack
of resources to find and prosecute perpetrators have made it almost impossible for people to find their
missing daughters and sons and to protect them.

There are some positive changes happening. Recently the media has considered not using mug
shots as the photo missing people of color. There is a new bill, HB25 that will hopefully create a more
complete database of information on these cases and will be linked to all states, so that it can more
easily be found. These things will help, but the real change will come when the majority of people
become educated about the Native American people and other people of color and their history and
culture. To know someone is to love someone because when you know them, they are human and
valuable and worth just as much as you.