Turtle Mountain educator makes a statement through her MMIW float at the Turtle Mountain Days Parade

BELCOURT, ND ( KXNET ) — Two years ago today, Jolene Thomas had hope, hope that her daughter would heal from a debilitating drug addiction and recover to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.

But instead of hope, Thomas says she was met with lies, deception, and the wrongful death of her 22-year-old daughter Kalisha Rose Thomas.

That was the deeper meaning of the drums that beat wildly during this morning’s parade in Belcourt.

The Turtle Mountain Days Parade is typically a parade for children to unwind and celebrate summer, but Thomas says she also wanted this to be a lesson for the ages.

According to Thomas, many people in the community still don’t known the dangers Indigenous people face outside of Belcourt.

A community educator herself, Thomas organized, funded, and decorated a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women float for the parade in honor of her daughter.

When Thomas sent her daughter for drug treatment in California, she was bewildered to receive a call that her daughter had died. The reasons for Kalisha’s death, she says, are unknown, but Thomas believes the facility’s malpractice is responsible for her death.

That’s why her float, dressed with red trim and a tepee marked with the characteristic red hand print, is so important. It’s a call to action to do more, to do better, and honor lives like Kalisha’s.

Thomas is discussing legal action against the facility that was responsible for her daughter’s drug treatment. And says she will continue fighting until truth, justice, and healing are a reality for herself and her family.

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