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About Us
Here, Our Voices is a consent-first storytelling movement uplifting Missing and Murdered Indigenous lives by protecting and amplifying voices with dignity, care, and compassion.
History
We are Here, Our Voices
Our Timeline
- 2021 - Nicole Merton begins a photography journey rooted in listening, witnessing, and showing up with respect.
- 2022 - The project expands to voice and video, strengthening consent, privacy, and participant control over what is shared
- 2023 - Here, Our Voices grows into a dedicated MMIW/MMIP documentation movement, creating documentary-style story pieces to educate and mobilize action.
- 2024 to Present - We expand through partnerships and community groups, using donor support to travel, preserve stories, and protect voices on safe platforms.
What We Do
We document lived experiences through photography, voice recordings, and video testimonies. These stories are shaped into documentary-style pieces that honor loved ones and educate the public while protecting the people who share them.
We also connect communities by highlighting chapters, groups, and advocates doing the work on the ground. Our platform exists to strengthen what is already moving within Indigenous communities, not replace it.
Our Story
Here, Our Voices is a consent-first storytelling and documentation movement created to uplift Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit relatives and to honor the families who continue to search, grieve, and advocate for their loved ones.
This work exists because Indigenous lives deserve to be seen as more than statistics or case numbers. Behind every name is a person who was loved, a family who is still waiting, and a community that deserves justice. We document stories with care so they are seen, heard, and protected.
Here, Our Voices began in 2021 as a photography journey led by Nicole Merton. What started as portrait work quickly became something deeper. As families shared their stories, a pattern emerged. Being seen mattered. Being heard mattered. But only when it was done with respect, trust, and consent.
Families shared that telling their story, on their own terms, felt healing. They also shared their fear of being misrepresented, ignored, or exploited. That truth shaped everything that followed.
Here, Our Voices was created not to speak for others, but to build a safe space where people can speak for themselves.
Why This Matters
The MMIW and MMIP crisis is ongoing. It affects families, generations, and entire communities. Awareness alone is not enough. Stories must be shared in a way that leads to understanding, action, and lasting support.
When stories are protected and amplified with care, they can bring visibility to cases, support community advocacy, invite allies into meaningful action, and honor loved ones with dignity.
Calls to action
Stand with us. Share your story, support the mission, and help ensure every name is seen, heard, and protected.
Our partners
