A Conversation About Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls with Local Author Marcie Rendon

Article by Becky Fillinger

Marcie Rendon, Photo Credit: Jaida Grey EagleMarcie Rendon is a local author, playwright, poet, consultant and activist. I chose to focus our discussion on the subject matter of her new play, Say Their Names, murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. She gives us many suggestions on being better community allies and on how to put a stop to the crisis.

Q:  You have so many facets to your life that I would love to highlight – you, with a few other students, successfully took over the Dean’s Office at Moorhead State in the 1970s to demand an American Indian Studies Department. You created the first Native student organization and brought the first pow-wow to the campus. You’ve worked in the Minnesota prison system to provide support for incarcerated Native Americans. The awards for your creative work are lengthy. All of this is ripe for discussion - but one of your recent activities captures my attention.  

You led a reading of your new play Say Their Names in November at the History Theater. The subject matter is murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, which is an epidemic, and recently referred to as genocide in Canada. In the US, Native American women are more than twice as likely to experience violence than any other demographic group. From 2010 to 2018, 8% of all murdered girls and women in Minnesota were Indigenous, making Indigenous women seven times more likely than white women to be murdered. Will you hold other readings? It the play in production?

A: Yes, there will be future readings of the play. I am in discussion with the History Theater and Turtle Theater Collective about next steps to move to full production and/or travel the production - whether in person or maybe by something like film/podcast. We do not have things ironed out in an exact way just yet.

Q:  What can we do as Minneapolis community members to be better allies – to support awareness of the crisis and to bring about solutions? 

A:  Minneapolis community members can work to increase their individual and collective awareness. People could connect with agencies such as: Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center; Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Ain Dah Yung Center to hear from other Native American people what allies can do. Senator Mary Kunesh is a person for those interested in a political arena.  

As far as solutions: Support the end of pipeline man camps. Work to educate men and boys about the dangers of the pornography industry and their participation in it. Advocate that as much money and resource go into locating missing people as goes into missing pets and cars.

Q:  Are you working with other artists and community activists on this crisis? 

A:  The primary people I am currently working with are the director and actors at Turtle Theater Collective. I am a writer, so most of the work I do in this area is through creating awareness in my writing - whether that be plays or short stories or novels.

Q:  How can we follow your news? 

A:  Lots of ways: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and my website.