D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai Spreads Awareness for MMIW

At the 2024 Emmys, actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai made a powerful statement by wearing a red handprint across his mouth. The red handprint is a well-known symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement.

Woon-A-Tai Turns the Spotlight Away from Himself

The 22-year-old Canadian actor, who is of Oji-Cree First Nations descent, was the center of a historic Emmys night. That said, Woon-A-Tai was the first Indigenous North American to be nominated in the Emmy’s Leading Actor category.

Despite this impressive award, Woon-A-Tai used the night to draw attention to a more important cause; the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement.

By wearing a red handprint across his mouth, Woon-A-Tai utilized his platform to draw attention to the alarming murder rate of women on reservations in the United States. In fact, this murder rate is 10 times higher than the national average. 10 times!

The MMIW movement remains prevalent in Canada as well, where the number of Native American women who have been killed or vanished is in the thousands. According to the Canadian government, Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than other women in the country.

“I did this for those who ain’t here, not 4 me, not 4 y’all,” Woon-A-Tai wrote on his Instagram.

Who is D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai?

The 2024 Emmys isn’t the first time Woon-A-Tai has used his growing platform to draw attention to Indigenous people. The talented actor continuously tailors his fashion choices to highlight his tribe and Indigenous creators.

Woon-A-Tai, nominated for his role as Bear Smallhill in Reservation Dogs, burst onto the acting scene with the award-winning FX series. The show is a comedy-drama that was the first American series directed and written by an all-Indigenous crew.

“It just gives us hope,” the actor explained, regarding his Emmy nomination. “It gives hope to a kid on a reservation that they could also be on that stage and do it too, and they can,” Woon-A-Tai assured.

Using Fashion to Bring Forth Change

Woon-A-Tai’s bold fashion gesture highlighted the lack of awareness and justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women. Oftentimes, these women’s voices go unheard, and Woon-A-Tai is playing a pivotal role in ensuring these individuals are represented.

Learn more about the MMIW movement and see how you can help by visiting their website.