Solidarity in Sovereignty

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

Speakers and Facilitators

Judy Bluehorse Skelton

Judy BlueHorse Skelton, (Nez Perce/Cherokee), Assistant Professor, Indigenous Nations Studies Dept., Portland State University, teaches Indigenous Ecological Healing Practices, Contemporary Issues in Indian Country, Indigenous Women Leadership, and Indigenous Gardens and Food Justice. She’s worked with federal, state and local Native organizations and tribes throughout the Northwest for more than 25 years, conducting cultural activities focusing on traditional and contemporary uses of native plants for food, medicine, ceremony, and healthy lifeways. In 2017 she received the PSU President’s Diversity Award and in 2014, the Oregon Indian Education Association’s award for Outstanding Indian Educator.

Judy serves on the Center for Tribal Nations Advisory Council to OMSI, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. She served on the Portland Parks Board 2011-2016, two years as Chair and currently serves on the boards of The Nature Conservancy and the Urban Greenspaces Institute. Collaborative work includes the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the Native American Rehabilitation Assn., the Many Nations Academy at NAYA, and other Native organizations in the Northwest. She has served on the Native American Community Advisory Council (NACAC) since its formation in 2011, partnering with Portland Parks, Metro, Bureau of Environmental Services and US Fish and Wildlife Service, integrating Indigenous land practices with Indigenous traditional ecological and cultural knowledge (ITECK) to address Food Sovereignty/Justice and reclaim the urban forest for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. .Just 19% of Native Americans ages 18 to 24 are enrolled in college compared with 41% of the overall U.S. population.

Cree Rose Dueker

Cree is passionate about data, storytelling, and engagement as tools to support and sustain sovereignty. She believes that by reconnecting + rebuilding our sovereign ways of being, systems, and first foods, we can create Indigenized futures that will benefit all. With a background working in higher education, with Native nations and urban Native communities, she brings her unique experience and drive to take care of others into her work as Program Coordinator. Cree has lived in many different states, spending her childhood and teen years in New Jersey, New Mexico, California, and Illinois, but now calls Oregon home. Personally, she loves to spend time with family, friends, and in the community – enjoying good food together, music, or just getting outside. She loves beading and trying out new styles accompanied by a show or movie in the background. She also loves to be outdoors and near water since they are her happy places, but also enjoys board games! She is a natural introvert but can be found spending time with her partner Richard, their cat Porkchop, and the many plants they tend to.

Dr. Carma Corcoran

Dr. Corcoran (Chippewa-Cree) directs the Indian Law Program at Lewis and Clark Law School. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University. Dr. Corcoran is very involved in Native American issues. In addition, she presents across Indian Country on a variety of Social Issues that are important for Native American people. Dr. Corcoran is a member of the 2019-2022 Class of the Whisenton Public Scholars. Dr. Corcoran is also one of the 2021-2022 Native Hope Fellows. Dr. Corcoran’s book, “The Incarceration of Native American Women: Creating Pathways to Wellness and Recovery Through Gentle Action Theory” will be published by the University of Nebraska Press in June 2023.