Native Americans work to end violence

Six Directions, Penn's Native American interest organization, and Amnesty International co-presented a talk highlighting a movement to end violence against Native American women. The dialogue specifically focused on The Amnesty Report: Maze of Injustice, which documents and studies the failure of the United States to protect indigenous women from sexual violence.

The discussion featured speaker Andrea Smith, a longtime Native American activist and scholar. Among Smith's merits, she coordinated Amnesty International's research project Maze of Injustice, as well as serving as the founder of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, which empowers women through dialogue and activism.

Smith began the talk by highlighting the problems of patriarchal dominance in Native American communities. Specifically, Smith discussed how indigenous women historically were portrayed as impure and regarded as less than human, instilling the current spirit of violence. She added that this violence against Native American women is codified into federal law and practice.

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