littleojibwe:

To the Indigenous Woman
I’m sorry we have not fought harder for you
For the woman and her baby left for dead by the police in her home
While they gave a ride to her attacker back to his house
To the girlfriend punched in her pregnant stomach
To the wife who took the beatings so her kids wouldn’t have to
To the daughter who found a man as abusive as her dad
To the coed who will never go to the 9 again
To the restraining order as strong as the paper it’s made from
And to the shelter with not enough beds

I give one thousand sweats for rape victims
One thousand doctorings for husbands
One thousand prayer ties for courage
One thousand meetings for silence
One thousand songs for patience
And one thousand fires, for enough light to fill a room
To reflect off a mirror the size of the moon
Just so we can see ourselves for what we are

Complicit.

So I dare you to protect them, Mr. President
I dare you to makes laws for them, Senator and Representatives
I dare you to try to stop me, tribal leaders
I dare you to go look for me, police officer

For every one thousand Native women in your district
330 of them will be sexually assaulted
88% of the perpetrators will be non-Native
And every piece of ever legislation needs a champion
But not all champions are leaders
And not all leaders are men
Just like not all kisses are wanted
And not all laws are consensual

They trespass her body like they trespass this land.

In the corner of a hut hole, in the backseat of a car
In a courtroom, of every hall, of every government…
We fail them

And the terrorist threat is in the same house
In the same car, goes to the same school
And works at the same job
And a threat ten times more likely to murder her than anyone else
This war is at home
Living room battlegrounds, bathroom infirmaries
Backseat trenches, fists like tanks
Sex like a war trophy
Under treaties of silence she whispered to me

”Please, please stop.”

I am your wife
I am your sister
I am your mother
I am your daughter

You were supposed to protect me
You were supposed to be a warrior
Protect me from you
From him
From all of them

Tell me you have daughters
Tell me you don’t want this for them
Tell me you won’t joke about this with your friends
Tell me you won’t forget we talked
Tell me you will do something

Do something.

Reblog every time this is on my dash.

Yes yes yes^^ This is so powerful.