9 Rosalie Fish (she/her)

Rosalie Fish is a Native American woman, Indigenous to the Pacific Northwest Mukilteo tribe, with a purpose of fighting for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Fish was born in Auburn, Washington to the Cowlitz tribe and descendant of the Mukilteo Tribe. She grew up on the Mukilteo reservation as a star runner, showing great passion in all endeavors.

Starting her career at Mukilteo Reservation High School, Fish championed many state and invitational titles, marking her talents as a runner which put her on the map of college recruiters. She continued at Iowa Valley Community College, starting her JUCO running career where she further proved her athletic accolades garnering conference titles and earning division 1 standards (highest level NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association). In 2020, Rosalie Fish ran a time of 4:44 1500-meter race, landing her a spot on the University of Washington’s Division 1 Team.

Fish utilized her platform as an athlete to represent the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement advocate to abolish the historical trauma, violence, femicide and present-day atrocities against indigenous women across the world. Famously represented by a red handprint, Fish championed the movement all through the span of her career by wearing this symbol across her face with a painted red handprint on her mouth during each race, a symbol of protest to institutions who comply in silence, including the NCAA, and collegiate associations.

While Fish’s activism was recognized and applauded by Indigenous communities and universities across the country, the NCAA and WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association) punished her participation and eligibility rights throughout her career, citing her protest as “disruptive” and “against the equal stage of athletics”. Despite the constant citations against Fish, she continued to raise advocacy through her renowned Instagram page (with 12,000 followers), interviews with acclaimed publications, and journalists.

The movement held a personal sentiment to Rosalie Fish, as the Mukilteo tribe itself had faced lots of violence against their own women and Fish was one to witness it while it was happening. Fish’s aunt, Alice Looney, had gone missing while going on a run in 2004, with no incentive from law enforcement to help bring her to safety. “When I run for missing and murdered Indigenous women, it’s not my political stance, it’s a cry for help to look at my humanity.“

From an early point in her career, she realized when she was running for the Mukilteo High School tribe, she was running not for herself but as a representative of her entire community. Fish further elaborated on her Instagram that she realized the hate she was getting was not a reflection of her as a person but more of the community and the women she represents, further proving the need to endure and protest. By challenging the NCAA Rosalie Fish has not only made bounds for Indigenous tribes in Washington, but has also created new spaces for minorities and their talented athletes to have a voice for their communities facing institutional oppression.