Thank you to our presenting sponsor, the City of Portland, for their generosity in making this learning series possible.
Thank you for your interest! This event is at capacity and we have closed registration.
Native Nations are regularly affected by policies and issues that are not well understood by non-Indigenous people. A better understanding of these pressing issues and why they matter can help non-Indigenous people advocate with Indigenous people and Native Nations. We’ve partnered with local Indigenous women leaders to develop Solidarity in Sovereignty, a five week virtual teach-in focused on educating our community about under-discussed issues affecting Native Nations. The topics we will cover during this teach-in are crucial to women and gender expansive people. Through this partnership the Center for Women’s Leadership is boosting the work of Indigenous women and gender expansive leaders and encouraging the non-Indigenous members of our community to begin their learning and increase awareness. Let’s learn together, move forward in solidarity, and advance gender justice for all.
Key topics covered:
- Blood Quantum: A term used by the federal government to define the fraction of Indigenous blood a person must have in order to determine whether they can be enrolled into the Native nation and are entitled to the benefits and reparations reserved for that tribe or nation. It also provides the US government with a means of documenting who is a tribal member.
- Food Sovereignty: Food sovereignty is the right of Indigenous people to cultivate, prepare, protect, and sustain culturally significant foods. Sustainability is an essential part of food sovereignty– all food must be harvested in such a way that food sources are preserved for future generations. First foods are important for spiritual practices, medicine, and general health and wellbeing. Some examples of first foods are camas, wapato, salmon, and lamprey.
- Indigenous Women in Higher Education: Indigenous voices are often excluded from higher education and Indigenous students are disproportionately underrepresented in the classroom. Just 19% of Native Americans ages 18 to 24 are enrolled in college compared with 41% of the overall U.S. population.
Additionally, Indigenous perspectives are missing from assigned learning materials and there are few Indigenous faculty on staff to mentor Indigenous students.
- Women’s Suffrage Movement from the Perspective of Indigenous Women: Indigenous women played a vital role in the women’s suffrage movement but they were also intentionally excluded from the movement’s primary goals. The movement focused on the welfare of white, middle class women and the contributions of Indigenous women have been largely ignored in accounts of the history of women’s suffrage in the United States.
- Tribal Sovereignty: Sovereignty is the legal word for an ordinary concept- the authority to self-govern. Tribal sovereignty means that a nation is recognized by the US government as a sovereign government with the right to self-govern, pass laws, determine their own governance structures, and enforce laws through police departments and tribal courts.
This program is designed to amplify Indigenous voices and provide an entry point for non-Indigenous folks to start their journey towards better understanding the policies and historical factors that impact Native Nations today. If you would like to continue your journey and broaden your knowledge, consider checking out resources and programming from our friends at the Native Governance Center and City of Portland Tribal Relations.
Event Details
Registration Deadline: March 27, 2023
Program Dates:
April 5, 2023: 5:00pm - Learning Series Launch Dinner at the Native American Student and Community Center
Tribal Sovereignty
April 12, 2023: 10:00am-11:30am via Zoom
First Foods
April 19, 2023: 10:00am-11:30am via Zoom
Women’s Suffrage Movement from the Perspective of Indigenous Women
April 26, 2023: 10:00am-11:30am via Zoom
Indigenous Women in Higher Education
May 3, 2023: 10:00am-11:30am via Zoom
Blood Quantum
May 10, 2023: 10:00am-11:30am via Zoom