Three local muralists have spotlighted the national crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls with a prominent work sponsored by the Hope Through Art Foundation.
At 945 West Second St. in Chico, Ali Meders-Knight, Christian Garcia and Shane Grammer painted a striking piece (pictured) featuring the portrait of a Native girl, a wolf and Native flowers to raise awareness. Hope Through Art partnered with the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria and the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake on the project. The foundation said in a news release that many donors for the mural are indigenous and have lost a relative to human trafficking or domestic violence.
According to the National Institute of Justice, 84 percent of indigenous women have experienced violence, including 56.1 percent who have experienced sexual violence. Homicide is the fourth-leading cause of death among indigenous girls and sixth-leading cause for indigenous women ages 20-44, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meders-Knight, who is Mechoopda, said on her Facebook page that the mural was an “amazing collaborative effort with community [and] family.”
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