October 12, 2020

Ms. Foundation for Women on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Ms. Foundation for Women on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

NEW YORK (October 12, 2020) – Ms. Foundation for Women President and CEO Teresa C. Younger released the following statement on Indigenous Peoples’ Day:

“Today, we celebrate the history and heritage of the original people of the land that comprises the United States. Even though this country’s success was made possible at the expense of Indigenous peoples, their rightful claims to the land and the sovereignty of their nations, they continue to enrich our collective culture.

“We’re proud to uplift Native communities across the country and glad to shine a light on this important history that has been overlooked for too long due to white supremacy. It’s important that we also recognize the challenges they are still facing today.

“Native peoples are fighting to protect the rights to their land and access to clean and safe water, facing an epidemic of missing and murdered Native women, battling against voter suppression as we face the most important election of our lifetime, struggling to keep their communities safe and secure during the COVID-19 pandemic, and holding the U.S. government accountable to signed treaties despite centuries of broken commitments.

“Today and always, we heed the advice of Indigenous women like revolutionary Cherokee Nation chief and former Ms. Foundation board member, Wilma Mankiller: ‘Cows run away from the storm while the buffalo charges toward it—and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment, I become the buffalo.’

“The Ms. Foundation for Women supports Indigenous peoples’ fight against the lingering effects of colonization and we will continue to elevate their voices and leadership to combat the racism and erasure that their communities continue to face.”

Ms. Foundation spokespeople are available for interviews by phone or video from NYC. To schedule, please contact Sunshine Sachs at [email protected].

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For over 45 years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has worked to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. The Ms. Foundation invests in and strengthens the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change in women’s lives. With equity and inclusion as the cornerstones of true democracy, the Ms. Foundation works to create a world where every person’s worth and dignity are valued, and power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.