We Ride for Her Events at the Carver Museum: March 9, March 10

Join the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center in partnership with Red Sand Project on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10 at 1165 Angelina St. for events related to We Ride for Her a documentary about The Medicine Wheel Riders, a group of Indigenous women motorcyclists who ride to raise awareness for the nationwide crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW/R). 

On Saturday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m., the team behind We Ride For Her has organized a Red Dress Exhibition, featuring empty red dresses hanging through the lobby of the Carver Museum as a visual representation of the spirits of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2Spirit individuals, inspired by the work of Métis artist Jaime Black. The Red Dress Exhibition will be on display from March 9 through April 6, 2024 at the Carver Museum, 

On Sunday, March 10 at 3 p.m., following the film’s premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival, Level Forward will present a conversation at the Carver Museum, ignited by the topics and themes of We Ride For Her. This event will excavate and amplify the roots of Black, Brown, and Indigenous solidarity as well as uplift the community ownership model deployed by We Ride For Her, centering equity, transparency, and wealth sharing.

We Ride For Her was conceived with the aim of inciting hope and catalyzing tangible change. The producers closely attended to communities’ lived experiences, foregrounding the agency and healing of the film’s protagonists in a trauma-informed approach to filmmaking. This included the use of rigorous informed consent processes, consultation with Indigenous trauma counselors on best practices, and an aftercare protocol emphasizing support and resources for survivors.

In alignment with the film’s aim to seed transformative change, the team behind We Ride For Her has also implemented a community ownership model, ensuring that those affected by the crisis hold a primary role in guiding the film’s direction and impact. The film is collectively owned by 19 community stakeholder partners, including organizations dedicated to advocacy around MMIW/R; supporting survivors of sexual violence; empowering Indigenous youth; and directly serving the needs of Indigenous communities.

The structure of this ownership model provides that profits are to be equally shared by the filmmakers and the film's Indigenous community stakeholders; neither Red Sand Project nor Level Forward will receive any profits from the film’s distribution, and all individuals involved in the process have been ensured access to the footage for use for their own not-for-profit purposes. The We Ride For Her team has developed legal templates based on this community ownership model, and has made them publicly accessible as free resources for film funders and non-profit organizations interested in applying this framework to support filmmakers and community stakeholders in future projects.

Earlier this year, the We Ride For Her team accompanied the Medicine Wheel Riders on their annual journey, stopping at locations in Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota, where they joined with the film’s community stakeholders to discuss the film, reflect upon this crisis, support local actions, and create space for community-building, healing, and dialogue.

Through and after the film’s world premiere at SXSW, the We Ride For Her team continues to amplify local and national efforts towards addressing the MMIW/R crisis. For more information on how to get involved, visit werideforher.com/reflect-respond.

About Red Sand Project
This film was conceptualized, supported, and produced by Red Sand Project, a participatory artwork raising awareness about human trafficking. Since its inception in 2014, Red Sand Project has been committed to telling the stories of those who have been trafficked, exploited, or made vulnerable. Red Sand Project has developed deep partnerships with organizations working to advocate for survivors, provide relief and support, and foster community.
Red Sand Project is focused on removing the onus and responsibility of awareness-raising away from survivors of human trafficking and towards communities and allies. This commitment to not retraumatizing those who have lived through violence and trauma—in the name of raising awareness—informs everything that Red Sand Project does, including this film. We believe that those who are closest to the issue—who are most impacted—should be those who set the agenda and create solutions. This is why we ensured that our filmmaking team is composed of Native people, families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and people, survivors of trafficking, and people of color.

About Level Forward
LEVEL FORWARD is a story-driven / impact-minded, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony nominated film, theater, and television mini-studio comprised of storytellers, entrepreneurs, and social change-makers. On project and systems levels, Level Forward strives to balance artistic vision, public good, and stakeholder return.