As a social work student at the University of Oklahoma, I have spent the past semester of my junior year learning the importance of advocacy. In March of 2020, HB 33445 was passed with a vote of 92-4. House Bill 3345, Missing and Murdered Indigenous persons; creating Ida’s Law, addresses Oklahoma’s response to missing and murdered indigenous persons. In 2019, Oklahoma was ranked 10th in the United States for number of missing or murdered indigenous People, and 30,000 Native Americans were reported missing. These statistics show exactly why we need bills like HB 3345 in Oklahoma. Ida’s Law helps the community and tribes by developing protocol for law enforcement in response to missing native persons, assists families and tribes with NamUs and other resources, provides court case guidance, and facilitates public and law enforcement training on this issue.
The impact that indigenous people have on the state of Oklahoma economically, culturally, and on the state as a whole, benefits both Native and non-native residents of Oklahoma and it is important that we advocate for these citizens and bring them the justice they deserve. Representative Tom Gann, Tommy Hardin, Jim Olsen, and Jay Steagall were the four representatives who voted against this bill. I encourage citizens to reach out to Oklahoma Representatives in the future and advocate for bills like HB 3345, to help protect and bring justice to tribes across Oklahoma.
Hannah Henry
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