Addressing violence against Indigenous people in Utah

MIDVALE – What’s happening this month inside Eminent Ink Tattoos, an all-women run studio in Midvale, means more to its artists than a typical day at work.

“This art has been around for thousands of years, and we’re kind of taking that back for us as women,” Ses Inks said.

She and her fellow tattoo artists are preparing to host a fundraising event on Saturday, Nov. 23, to raise awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous women in Utah.

“We both know that it’s like an epidemic we need to raise awareness for,” she said. “I don’t feel like it gets enough attention.”

The annual fundraiser is their way of working to change that. They’ll be collecting donations and donating 40% of their earnings that day to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.

“If you don’t use your talent for something else, then what good is being an artist?” Inks said. “That’s what I love about doing this.”

“Our indigenous populations are at higher risk when it comes to domestic violence,” said Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City.

Inside Utah’s Capitol Wednesday, lawmakers serving on the Native American Legislative Liaison Committee were also meeting to push for continued work on the issue.

Utah’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives task force is on track to sunset at the end of the month. A draft bill that will be submitted during the upcoming legislative session would extend the task force’s work through July 1, 2027.

“Sometimes people don’t trust because of all the broken promises and so that’s why we’ve been consistent, and we keep on showing up to show people that were here and we’re not going anywhere,” Romero said.

Since 2020, she’s been part of the task force working to earn that trust. They released a report identifying problems and potential solutions.

“A huge barrier there is just jurisdiction,” she explained. “Who’s in charge? The federal government, a local entity, a county government? There’s all these complications.”

Many boards and commissions were on the chopping block during this year’s legislative session, but Romero said she’s confident her fellow legislators understand the importance of the task force and she is hopeful the bill extending its work will receive support.

“There is a lack of trust and so Senator Hinkins and I have been working on this for five years to build that trust,” she said. “We were able to get the report done. There’s a lot of work ahead of us and we don’t want to stop the work.”

Whether through policy on Utah’s Capitol Hill, or, perhaps, some pain inside a tattoo studio, Romero and Inks represent women in Utah working to make sure those who are missing and murdered are not forgotten.

“I think people may live next to Native people and they don’t know,” Romero said. “I’m Native, as well as Latina, but many people don’t know that. And so, for me, this is personal.”

Inks said her driving motivation is her children who are also Native. “There’s Native people everywhere,” Inks said. “If you talk to them, I’m pretty sure 90% of them have a story that they can tell you about one of their stolen sisters.”