Honor Indigenous Women for Women’s Herstory Month and International Women’s Day

This March, NIWRC is lifting the voices, expertise and accomplishments of Indigenous women leaders in recognition of Women’s Herstory Month and International Women’s Day on March 8. Women, as leaders, nurturers, protectors, survivors, and knowledge-keepers, are honored and valued in Indigenous communities. Join us in honoring all of the women who embody our Indigenous values of compassion, respect, generosity, humility, fortitude and love. Throughout March, we will also be acknowledging the accomplishments of four Indigenous women (pictured Deb Haaland, Beverly Kiohawiton Cook, Joy Harjo, and Sherrill Elizabeth Tekatsitsiakwa (Katsi) Cook) who have made lifting Indigenous people’s rights and sovereignty their lifeway. Read our statement celebrating these women and check out our recommended book list full of Indigenous women authors!

Register Now for 2021 Women are Sacred Conference, Plus Nominate for Tillie Black Bear Award

We are pleased to announce registration is now open for the 2021 Women Are Sacred (WAS) Conference and a draft agenda is available on our conference website. This virtual conference will take place across three (3) days of activities, on a limited daily schedule, to accommodate participants from Hawaii and Alaska to the East coast and everything in between. These live presentations will be recorded and available online for three months after our event. This is an outstanding opportunity to connect with survivors, advocates, grassroots organizers, tribal leaders, law enforcement, child welfare, social services, and tribal court personnel, and to build capacity and enhance your advocacy and skills to strengthen the movement to end the violence. Please also nominate someone for the Tillie Black Bear Memorial Award, created to recognize outstanding grassroots advocates and direct service providers that exemplify the teachings and dedication that Tillie Black Bear instilled in restoring safety for Native women. All nominations must be received by Friday, May 14, 2021.

StrongHearts Native Helpline is Now Available 24/7

StrongHearts Native Helpline (1-844-762-8483) recently announced it has expanded operations by offering advocacy services by phone and chat 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. StrongHearts Native Helpline is a culturally-appropriate, anonymous, confidential and free service dedicated to serving Native victim-survivors, concerned family members and friends affected by domestic, dating and sexual violence. StrongHearts is a project of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. “Our goal is to make caring support available to as many Native American and Alaska Natives as possible,” said StrongHearts Director Lori Jump (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians). “Victim-survivors need to be able to reach out when it’s safe for them, around-the-clock.” Read more in press release.

Crushing Colonialism Celebrates Women's History Month with Video Series Release

In honor of Women's History Month, Crushing Colonialism is releasing all of the The Three Rs: Realize, Recognize, & Reconciliation videos throughout March. The first video, titled “Native 101,” will debut March 1 and will offer viewers an opportunity to learn about Indigenous peoples throughout the so called Americas with a new video released each following Monday. “Our weeklong #3RS institute is a unique opportunity to learn directly from a diverse group of Indigenous people who are living under and fighting against the violent realities of settler colonialism,” said Jen Deerinwater, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. who founded Crushing Colonialism. “Topics covered at the #3RS included the crisis of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirits, environmental justice, healthcare disparities, theft of Indigenous children by the state, cultural appropriation, and what decolonization and tribal sovereignty truly look like.” Visit Crushing Colonialism’s Youtube channel and spread the word.

Osage Artist to Donate Proceeds of Flag to NIWRC

NIWRC sends our heartfelt appreciation to Osage artist Yatika Starr Fields for his flag design as part of the Flags of Resilience project by form & concept and Zane Bennett Contemporary Art. All of the proceeds from the flag will benefit the NIWRC. For his flag design, Fields reinvents and imagines his home state’s 1925 flag depiction of the Osage Nation shield, with a special emphasis on Native rights and inclusivity. “As an Osage artist,” Fields says, “I wanted to have agency over this shield.... Flags decide identity, they come and go just as the fragility of our lands and lives. I think it’s necessary to revisit each state flag and discuss its meanings.” He added, “I feel like this organization always needs help,” says Fields, “and as a man and Native man using a warrior shield in the imagery, it’s only right that it goes to protect the Native women and children of the Native tribes in the U.S.” Read the artist’s statement, and support his work and NIWRC by purchasing a flag today.

Get Free 1-Year Print Subscription to Restoration, Courtesy of Urban Indian Health Institute

Our partner Urban Indian Health Institute is offering a free 1-year print subscription to Restoration of Native Sovereignty and Safety for Native Women magazine free of charge for survivors, advocates and supporters. Restoration magazine is a publication dedicated to informing tribal leadership and communities of emerging issues impacting the safety of American Indian and Alaska Native women. The name of the magazine, Restoration of Native Sovereignty and Safety for Native Women, reflects the grassroots strategy of the Task Force that by strengthening the sovereignty of Indian nations to hold perpetrators accountable the safety of Native women will be restored. Claim your free print subscription here. All renewals will be automatically processed at the end of one year at the standard subscription rate. Learn more about the partnership between NIWRC and Urban Indian Health Institute in the latest issue of Restoration.

Webinar Reminder: Traumatic Brain Injury and Domestic Violence: What are the Connections?

We know that domestic violence is a pattern of abuse and that victims are experience repeated instances of physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual violence. Traumatic brain injuries are often the result of repeated physical abuse and are cumulative and not unlike those experienced by athletes who have had multiple concussions. This important webinar on 3/17 will discuss the intersection of domestic violence and traumatic brain injury (TBI), strategies for advocates, the importance of trauma-informed approaches and provide valuable resources to strengthen our advocacy and understanding TBI effects. Register here.

What We're Reading...

• State of tribal nations 'strong' despite crises, but feds need to help
• 'Counting our dead': Oregon's first 'Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons' report released
• A Native American says she shot her alleged rapist in self-defense. Federal prosecutors charged her with murder.
• High school senior basketball player coordinates awareness, fundraiser for MMIW movement
• How journalist Connie Walker is seeking justice for Indigenous women
• Tulsa man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sexually abusing a child
• After mishandled investigations, advocates cautious as Nome police try rebuilding trust

Funding Opportunities and Information

• U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women: 
  • Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program (Due: 3/16/2021)
  • Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking on Campus Program (Due: 3/16/2021)
  • Sexual Assault Services Culturally Specific Program (Due: 3/16/2021)
  • Enhanced Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program (Due: 3/23/2021)
  • Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction (Due: 3/26/2021)
  • Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction: Targeted Support for Exercising Tribes (Due: 3/26/2021)
  • Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (Due: 3/31/2021)
  • Grants to Prevent and Respond to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Against Children and Youth (Due: 3/9/2021)
  • Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations (Due: 4/1/2021)
• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs: 
  • Research and Evaluation of Services for Victims of Crime (Due: 3/16/2021)
  • Research and Evaluation of Trafficking in Persons (Due: 3/22/2021)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families: 
  • Personal Responsibility Education Program Innovative Strategies (Estimated Post Date: 3/21/2021)
  • Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grant - National Capacity Building Center to Expand Services for Children, Youth, and Abused Parents Impacted by Domestic Violence (ESCYAP) (Estimated Post Date: 3/21/2021)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families: 
  • Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Competitive Grants (Estimated Post Date: 3/21/2021)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families:
  • Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grants: Capacity Building Center on Safe and Supportive Housing for Domestic Violence Survivors in Tribal Communities (Tribal Safe Housing Center) (Estimated Post Date: 3/21/2021)