NYC: Join Us for an Evening of Short-Films with Indigenous Women Life Defenders
This event will take place at Summer of Heat HQ located at 32 Bridge St, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, September 26th at 6:30 PM.
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As part of NYC Climate Week, WITNESS, Black Indigenous Liberation Movement (BILM), and Dandelions invite you for an inspiring evening of community conversation and film screenings featuring Indigenous women life protectors.
From the epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women in the United States to the defense of water and spirituality in Guatemala, and the diverse struggles of Indigenous women across Brazil’s biomes, these 3 short films will reveal the profound connections between land, life, and the fight against environmental and gender-based violence.
Through the powerful voices and stories of Lucía Ixchíu, Shirley Krenak, Carmen Victoria Álvarez Medrano, Elaine Yellow Horse, and Prairie Rose Seminole, we will explore the critical roles Indigenous women play in safeguarding their lands and addressing the gender-based violence they face in their territories. Priscila Tapajowara, esteemed filmmaker of the Tapajó people in the Amazon and the President of Midia Indigena Oficial, will guide this evening’s conversation.
Together, we will center Indigenous women-led storytelling, both in the film industry and within broader communication strategies, as we work to build a future rooted in justice and sustainability.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with and support the voices of those at the front of leading solutions to the climate crisis and protecting life. We look forward to seeing you there!
We are honored to be joined by the following speakers:
Lucia Ixchíu: K’iche, tree of the Forest, anti-patriarchal, journalist and Indigenous storyteller (Mayan in exile) Indigenous coordinator for the Black Indigenous Liberation Movement, and coordinator for international advocacy in Festivales Solidarios.
Prairie Rose Seminole: Northern Cheyenne, Arikara and Dakota. Seminole is an educator, organizer, culture bearer and storyteller. She is the Co-Director of the film, We Ride For Her- a short documentary on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Seminole has served on the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, Midwest Advisory Board, and the Fargo Human Relations Commission. She currently serves on the Olamina Fund Advisory Board, the Midwest Innocence Project Board, Gender Justice US and Humanities ND and chairs the ND Native Caucus. Prairie Rose has been a part of efforts, institutions, and organizations that have seeded, supported, and strengthened public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement on local, state, and national levels. Prairie Rose grew up in North Dakota and is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of ND on the Fort Berthold Reservation. She lives with her partner, their 7 dogs and 10 horses in White Shield ND.
Elaine Yellow Horse: Elaine Yellow Horse is a proud Oglala Lakota Winyan and the daughter of Roberta “Marlette” Thunder Horse and Jamie Yellow Horse. She grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation, located in South Dakota, in the small community of Wounded Knee. After working as a tribal prosecutor, Elaine returned to school to pursue a law degree, which she completed at the University of South Dakota (J.D. ’22). Since graduating, Elaine has dabbled in the fields of tribal government, nonprofits, and higher education. Most recently, she has been offered a position at Oglala Lakota College to teach the Tribal law courses. While doing this, she is also working on her debut memoir, expected in early 2025. Elaine lives in Rapid City with her spouse and children. Everything she does is with the hope that her generation will thrive.
Carmen Victoria Alvarez Medrano: Carmen Alvarez is a Maya K’iche Woman and the Founder of K’iyarem Tiempo-Evolución to expand the Maya calendar.
Shirley Krenak: Shirley Krenak belongs to the Krenak people, and she is an activist and writer trained in Social Communication. She is the president of the Shirley Djukurnã Krenak Institute, which develops various activities in the environmental, educational, social, and cultural areas. Author of the book “The protective Jaguar”, she also coordinates the project “Sons que Curam” (Sounds that heal) whose essence captures the humming of birds and the noises of the forests, in order to promote the healing of hearing and the strengthening of the call of Mother Earth. She recently received an honorary doctorate by The Federal University of Juiz de Fora for her impact in the educational and activist world. Shirly Krenak is widely known in the indigenous movement fighting for native rights and land demarcation. She is one of the founders of ANMIGA – National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry, where she works and one of the “biome women ”. Internationally, Shirley Krenak has developed different projects regarding publication of books, sound projects, lectures, and more recently she became a strong voice against climate change, taking part in different conferences of the UN Organization.
Priscila Tapajowara: Priscila Tapajowara is from the Tapajó people, one of the 13 peoples of the lower Tapajós River region, in the Brazilian Amazon. She is an indigenous activist, climate activist, photographer, producer of audiovisual content and co-coordinator of Mídia India.