Comanche Nation Vice Chairman, Princess Speak at MMIW March
On Monday, March 25, Comanche Nation Vice Chairman Cornel Pewewardy and Comanche Nation Princess McKenzi Sovo were guest speakers at a Third Annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s March at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in Edmond, Oklahoma. The Center at UCO hosted the event.
Sovo said she was glad to be invited along with several other guest speakers.
“It means a lot to be here. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to get to speak on behalf of myself and on behalf of Native Americans and the Comanche Nation, and I am very honored, and there [were] a lot of speakers here today. I got to do the Lord's Prayer and also talk a little bit,” she said. “I read a poem and talked a little bit about missing and murdered indigenous women and people, and I think it's just very important to us to be able to get out there.”
Sovo said raising awareness for events within the indigenous community is important.
“For a while, there wasn't a lot of recognition and exposure on the missing and murdered indigenous women and people, and I think that being a part of the groups like the Kiowa MMIP/MMIW chapter, there is a lot of exposure about what they go through, and I think it's very important that we just make it announced because we've gone through a lot of hardships and struggles as indigenous people, and when there [were] events such as MMIW and MMIP, it was never showcased and never brought to light, and now that it's not being brought to light, we have to take a step as indigenous people and bring it to light ourselves because others won't bring it to light, and I think it's very important that we showcase it as best as we can and really expose the severity of what indigenous women and people go through,” she said.
Sovo said she reached out to the Kiowa MMIP head woman.
“She invited me out to an event a while back where a few of the members shared their stories, and I have personally never been through anything like that,” she said. “But hearing the stories, it really touched my heart, and it made me feel for the indigenous women and people that have went through that, and it's very heartbreaking, and I think it's very emotional, and it's honestly crazy to see what people have gone through and the pain that people and families have endured.”
Sovo said many families still want justice to be served, and hearing personal stories created more understanding of the seriousness of the issues.
“I think I've really understood the severity of it throughout my reign, and I do want to learn more, and I have been learning a lot more since I started my title,” she said. “I only knew a little bit about it and just the gist of what it was, you know, and I think as my year has went on, I have definitely learned a lot more about how crazy and severe our indigenous people have went through these traumatic events, and I think it's very important that I learn a lot about it so maybe we can, I can help bring light to it, and also our societies and organizations that cover stuff like that, I think they can get more light to it as well.”
The event also included Women’s History Month as well.
“That's for all women of all nationalities and races, and I wore purple today. I wore purple earrings and a purple ribbon skirt because purple is the color for the awareness month, so I wore that today, and I just think women are very powerful, and I believe that women have went through a lot throughout the years, and I think that we have overcome them, and we're still going through some struggles this present year,” Sovo said. “But I think it's definitely changed a lot since in the past from when women couldn't vote to today, and women are very strong, and women are the root of life.”
After the presentation, students and community members marched around the UCO campus.
