BILLINGS, Mont. – On a smoky September morning, hundreds gathered on the courthouse lawn in downtown Billings for the second annual vigil for missing and murdered Indigenous people.

The event, organized by Warrior Women for Justice, featured the reading of 245 names of Native people who are either missing or have died.

Lita Pepion, co-founder of Warrior Women for Justice, expressed the importance of these events for raising awareness in the community.

"I feel like it's just important to be heard - and I've had that experience even with people living on the streets. One guy, I stopped and gave him some gloves because he was cold and he said 'thank you for seeing me,'" said Pepion.

Data from the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs shows that in 2020, Indigenous people made up 10% of active

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