Since 1990, every U.S. President has declared the month of November as Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate and honor the contributions, culture, history, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives. This commemorative month also provides a platform to raise awareness about the adversity Native people faced in the past and continue to overcome in the present, and the ways in which people can come together to address and conquer these challenges. In 2009, legislation was passed that designated the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.
Women and Girls Lead and Independent Lens celebrate Native American women leaders who are on the frontlines of changes their communities. To commemorate this month, Independent Lens has been offering films via broadcast and online streaming that showcase the struggles and contributions of Native American women, films like Young Lakota, which premiered this week on PBS and is now available to watch for free online, as well as Kind Hearted Woman and We Still Live Here (Âs Nutayuneân) which are available for online viewing all month long.
And now you can also join us for an online encore presentation of Young Lakota today (Tuesday, November 26) at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT, where you can chat with filmmakers Rose Rosenblatt and Marion Lipschutz as well as the film’s main protagonist, Sunny Clifford, who was recently honored with a Ms. Foundation Gloria Award, and her mentor Cecilia Fire Thunder, the first woman ever elected President of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. The event will be moderated by Shirley Sneve, Executive Director of Vision Maker Media.
Young Lakota trailer:
Kind Hearted Woman trailer:
We Still Live Here trailer: