Book Discussion, Lakota Woman

Book Discussion, Lakota Women

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 | 5  – 6 PM

Hosted by Starla Thompson: “My work as an educator, scholar, dancer, advocate, and mother is directly influenced by my lived experiences as a Potawatomi woman born and raised in Chicago, ancestral Potawatomi land. I am an enrolled member of the Forest County Band of Potawatomi that resides in northern Wisconsin. A long line of matriarch relatives, who survived removal, assimilation (boarding schools), relocation, and other federal policies aimed at our genocide, impact my work, power my passion for truth, and inspire my commitment to healing in all communities. Deepening the understanding of my native culture has been a treasured gift.”

Mary Brave Bird grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota in a one-room cabin without running water or electricity. With her white father gone, she was left to endure “half-breed” status amid the violence, machismo, and aimless drinking of life on the reservation. Rebelling against all this—as well as a punishing Catholic missionary school—she became a teenage runaway.

Mary was eighteen and pregnant when the rebellion at Wounded Knee happened in 1973. Inspired to take action, she joined the American Indian Movement to fight for the rights of her people. Later, she married Leonard Crow Dog, the AIM’s chief medicine man, who revived the sacred but outlawed Ghost Dance.

Originally published in 1990, Lakota Woman was a national bestseller and winner of the American Book Award. It is a story of determination against all odds, of the cruelties perpetuated against American Indians, and of the Native American struggle for rights. Working with Richard Erdoes, one of the twentieth century’s leading writers on Native American affairs, Brave Bird recounts her difficult upbringing and the path of her fascinating life.

Book summary derived from Amazon

Your registration and attendance certify that you are following these requirements.

In an effort to create a safe environment, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee adopted a COVID policy that requires all attendees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing symptoms or have had recent contact with someone who has COVID or COVID symptoms, please refrain from attending events/meetings in person. 

 If your status regarding COVID changes ahead of an event/meeting, please contact Lisa Attonito, Executive Director, to discuss participation options.  Lattonito@womensfundmke.org or 414-290-7350.