Red Dress Day: Hilo Gathers to Destigmatize Trauma and Support the MMIWGM Movement Organizers highlighted the intergenerational impacts of the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Māhū

Red Dress Day: Hilo Gathers to Destigmatize Trauma and Support the MMIWGM Movement

Organizers highlighted the intergenerational impacts of the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Māhū

HILO, HAWAIʻI –On Tuesday, May 5, He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna and Kū Ānuenue convened a community gathering in Hilo to honor the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Māhū (MMIWGM). The gathering aligned with a global movement born in Canada.

This year’s event focused on the destigmatization of intergenerational trauma caused by the crisis, demanding systemic accountability while fostering a space for collective healing. It also addressed the historical blood from years of violence that continues to impact families across the islands. Local organizers called for improved data collection, culturally grounded response protocols, and long-overdue justice for impacted families.

Held at the grassy strip outside Ross along busy Kanoelehua Highway during the evening rush hour, the event brought together community members, advocates, cultural practitioners, and families directly impacted by the crisis. A clothesline strung between two palms held empty red dresses swaying in the breeze, evoking the pain experienced from losing a loved one to this form of violence, along with symbolizing a move from grief to justice as we continue this fight to protect our indigenous women, girls, and māhū.

The urgency of the movement is underscored by recent local tragedies, including the disappearance of six children on Oʻahu within a single month. On Hawaiʻi Island, Native Hawaiian children ages 15–17 represent the highest number of missing children, and from 2018–2021, there were 182 cases of missing Native Hawaiian girls on Hawaiʻi Island, more than any other racial group.

Advocates emphasize that these incidents are a daily reality across the islands, hitting poor, rural, and underserved communities with the greatest frequency. The vulnerability of these populations is reflected in national data, with Hawaiʻi currently holding the highest per capita human trafficking rate of any state, according to the Human Trafficking Institute.

“Puna and Kaʻū are repeatedly identified by service providers as high‑risk districts, where Native Hawaiian women and girls face disproportionate rates of disappearance, domestic violence, trafficking, and homicide,” said Dr. Dayna Schultz, Lead Mentor of He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O` Puna, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting women and enhancing community well-being through comprehensive behavioral health services, and compassionate peer mentorship, which co-hosted the event.

Dr. Schultz said these disproportionate impacts are due to rural isolation, high poverty rates, limited access to services, high rates of missing children, and high domestic violence call volume.

In 2024, the Hawai’i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported that Hawaiʻi County consistently reports one of the highest Domestic Violence arrest rates in the state.

“The never‑ending high cost of living in Hawaiʻi makes our people, and especially our keiki, more vulnerable as they struggle to meet basic needs, said Renee Rivera, Co-Director of He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O` Puna, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting women and enhancing community well-being through comprehensive behavioral health services, and compassionate peer mentorship.

“Too often, those needs are exploited by danger, trafficking, and other harms disguised as ‘opportunities.’ Missing women, children, and māhū, along with rising violence, have become far too common in our island home,” Rivera continued. “We are no longer as isolated or protected as we once believed. Still, we continue the work, encouraging our community to stand in their power, stand in their truth, and protect and cherish our keiki.”

Through oli, prayer, and sign-waving, the event transformed a busy roadside into a site of active resistance and solidarity.

Dr. Schultz emphasized the urgent need to center the stories of survivors, and give equal attention to missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and māhū in the media, both to raise awareness, and to destigmatize trauma. “We bleed the same blood, cry the same tears and feel the same pain.”

“By centering the stories of survivors, this gathering strips away the shame often attached to intergenerational trauma, through the pain of repeated erasure, silence, and being the footnote or afterthought,” Dr. Schultz continued. “Our lives are just as valuable as our counterparts.”

Cherry, who only gave her first name, stood under a tent behind a sign emblazoned “Rezz Chicks” as she cooked frybread to give away to the participants. She was born in North Dakota, and moved to Hilo last September to be with her son, a 33 year old father of two.

“He was murdered in December, so this event really hits hard,” she said.

Cherry and her sister opened up the frybread stand as a way to raise money for her sonʻs headstone. “This was something that he wanted to do when he moved here… he wasnʻt able to make it, so I wanted to make his plans a reality.

Jessica Waiaʻu’s organization, Kū Ānuenue, cohosted the event in order to shed light on the ways that indigenous māhū with intersecting identities are marginalized. “This particular event… helps to put more eyes on the fact that there are so many missing māhū,” she said.

“There’s a lot of interpersonal and intimate partner violence in māhū relationships that don’t really get talked about.”

“This is an opportunity for that to come to the surface,” she continued.

Kū Ānuenue is a small grassroots organization located in Hilo that serves as a community of care for LGBTQIA2s+ people. Their offerings include support groups, a judgment-free closet, and alcohol-free social events to provide a sober space for the māhū and queer community to meet each other.

“Our space is created to be family friendly,” said Waiaʻu, who attended with her children. “Our target audience is keiki to kūpuna.”

Reflecting on the event, the organizers from He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna offered a shared statement: “We will continue to be the voice,  say her name out loud, to ensure she will always be remembered. As our kupūna did for us, we will continue until our last breath to fight for, love, and protect our women, children, and māhū.”

He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna and Kū Ānuenue extend their gratitude to the community for standing in solidarity and helping to sustain this vital space of truth-telling, destigmatization, and remembrance.

To learn more about Kū Ānuenue or support their programs, visit https://www.kuanuenue.org or follow them on Instagram at @kuanuenue.

To learn more about He Ho’omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna, or receive information about future events, visit https://hehoomakahouanaopuna.org/ or contact Renee Rivera, MSW at rrivera@hehoomakahouanaopuna.org