The epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives is rooted in colonial systems. The establishment of the first statewide task force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women by Minnesota in 2019, coupled with the 2021 Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaskan Natives, provides opportunity for change. Join us for a day of presentations and panels to learn more from the intrepid leaders that have advocated for change at local, state, and federal levels and to have honest conversations about what needs to be done to ensure that the policy measures taken by state and federal governments result in intentional systemic solutions.
Colombian universities are relatively new in adopting protocols for preventing and combating gender-based violence (GBV). The implementation of these protocols is challenging due to the inadequacy of the current legal framework for effectively addressing harassment and discriminatory practices in schools. The protocols apply not only to students, but also to faculty and staff. Moreover, the existing rules apply to any organization and often lack appropriate mechanisms for tackling culturally patriarchal environments. This event will allow students and civil servants working on GBV to engage in critical conversations with scholars from the University of Minnesota and the University of ICESI on the topic. What common barriers do both countries face in eradicating sexual harassment and violence? What lessons can Colombian institutions learn from Title IX in the USA? What might Colombia’s jurisprudence on GBV offer to the United States?
Native leaders, including women and two-spirit leaders, plan for the future with a seven-generation mindset. These leaders steward resources for the seventh generation – including land, water, and indigenous languages – while simultaneously tending to the economic well-being of Native nations and communities today. This event will provide an opportunity to learn what seventh generation principles are and why these core values are important to our peoples and leaders. It will also provide an opportunity to learn from successful models of seventh generation stewardship and how to balance the often-difficult decisions such planning entails.