From the Nominator

"According to the National Institute of Justice, 84% of Indigenous women have experienced violence in their lifetime—more than 1.5 million individuals. These women are often targeted by sex traffickers and other predators and face murder rates 10 times the national average. These crimes are committed mostly by non-Indigenous perpetrators.  

On March 3, 2022, Sky Sampson, director of the WCU Cherokee Center, organized a group of Indigenous women to gather at Kituwah Mound, the site of an important Cherokee mother town, to bring awareness to the violence affecting sisters, mothers, daughters and grandmothers of Indigenous communities across the continent.   

As a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, and a neighbor and friend to the Eastern Band of Cherokee, our university photographer Ashley Evans was compelled and honored to join in photographing more than 40 women, including WCU alumni, who showed up through a Facebook social call, to advocate for justice. They bore the red handprint of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement, symbolizing the high rate of violence.   

It was quickly realized the impact this could have regionally and nationally, and the university moved to collaborate with WCU’s Fine Art Museum to create "We Will Not be Silenced: Standing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" exhibit that included five Indigenous artists."

From the Judges

It is incredibly moving and speaks to the deep commitment of the photographer to her subjects. The awesome photography captures the essence of the individuals and the emotions they convey. The images are powerful and evoke a strong emotional response. Judges were deeply impressed by the level of skill and dedication demonstrated by the photographer.