Wilma Mankiller, noted author, Native American activist and former chief of the Cherokee Nation, is the second presenter in the University of New Mexico Native American Studies 2004-05 Lecture Series.
Mankiller is author of the new book “Every Day is a Good Day: Reflections by Contemporary Indigenous Women,” featuring a foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr. and introduction by Gloria Steinem.
Mankiller will give a free, public lecture “Controlling Our Own Image: Public Perception as a Sovereignty Protection Issue ,” Thursday, Oct. 21, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Kiva Auditorium, UNM campus. She will lead a classroom discussion “Contemporary Native Issues,” from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Education Building, rm. 105.
Mankiller's roots are planted deep in the rural community of Mankiller Flats in Adair County, Oklahoma, where she has spent most of her life. She has been honored with numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She received honorary degrees from esteemed institutions such as Yale, Dartmouth and Smith.
She is also the author of “Mankiller: A Chief and Her People,” used widely in Native American studies curriculum, and co-editor of “A Reader's Companion to the History of Women in the U.S.”
In the introduction to Mankiller's new book, Gloria Steinem writes, “This is a very important book. It could be the most important of this new century if it were to get the mindfulness it deserves.”
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, (505) 277-5915