Native American Heritage Month may have come to a close, but all the realities and experiences of being NDN and womxn in America will never cease. Last month, I made sure to have more of a focus on my community with constant check-ins, talks, tea, and lots of self care work that included smudging up my whole house among other things. How did you spend your month? Today, I want to talk about women, the very backbone of our communities and society at large. *Trigger Warning* Th

Hey There! Welcome to the first official blog post of Indigenous Women Rising. I’m Catherine Speaks, your host and I’m so excited to start this journey of blogging with you. It’s October. In New York City, Fall has officially begun and so has the stream of posts about apple picking, autumn leaves falling, pumpkin spice lattes and more. There’s one specific date on my calendar that I found myself incredibly excited for and that was October 8th. Although not recognized as a fe

Throughout the process of colonization, a period of 500 years and counting, Indian women and two spirit people have collectively experienced generational and individual trauma. These acts have come in many forms and include assault, rape, forced sterilization, lack of access to equitable prenatal/postnatal care, reproductive health services, poverty, assimilation, exotification, objectification, exploitation, murder, and everything in between. Each generation of tribal women