NSU welcomes Matriarch co-founder, Sarah Adams-Cornell

(Tahlequah, Oklahoma) - Northeastern State University Center for Womens Studies and Center for Tribal Studies is bringing co-founder of Matriarch, Sarah Adams-Cornell, to the Tahlequah campus Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Webb Auditorium.

Adams-Cornell (Choctaw) will host a discussion titled Protecting Our Sisters: Connecting Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the Violence Against Women Act. The talk will explore the missing and murdered indigenous women movement and the many moving pieces that make Native women the most targeted and resilient community in the nation.

This talk is a prelude to a more in-depth discussion that will be held as part of the 47th Annual Symposium on the American Indian in April 2019. The Matriarch organization promotes the social welfare of Native women through education, community building, and direct services to create positive change within our communities.

My hope is that with more awareness comes more action, which can protect our Indigenous sisters (and daughters) from experiencing this type of trauma, said Sara Barnett (Muscogee), director of the Center for Tribal Studies. This type of conversation fits perfectly within the Center for Tribal Studies mission to provide a space to have discussions regarding topics that are relevant to our American Indian communities.

Thousands of indigenous women are missing or have been murdered here in the United States and in Canada, and that needs to be a part of not only our national, but our local conversation, Dr. Suzanne Farmer, director of the NSU Center for Womens Studies, said. To date, there is no database that tracks indigenous women who are missing or have been murdered and the FBI is not tracking these cases. Overall, we need to ask ourselves: what can we do to protect indigenous women and ensure their safety in our community?

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Center for Tribal Studies or Center for Womens Studies at 918-456-5511.

The NSU Center for Tribal Studies serves as a central resource on campus for supporting academic effectiveness, enhancing the quality of student experiences, initiating scholarly activities, bridging communication between tribal nations and the University, and enriching the cultural heritage of the Northeastern State University community.

Founded in 2013, the Center for Womens Studies supports many of Northeastern State Universitys core values and goals through both an academic minor and programming that promotes an environment of learning and discovery, full inclusion, civic engagement and encourages global knowledge and cultural sensitivity.