MISSOULA – Winona LaDuke, the internationally renowned environmentalist, economist and writer known for her work on tribal land claims, tribal preservation and sustainable development, will deliver a seminar and lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 26, as the next University of Montana President’s Lecture Series guest.

Winona LaDuke
Winona LaDuke
loading...

LaDuke will present “Be the Ancestor Your Descendants Would Be Proud Of,” the annual Brennan Guth Memorial Lecture in Environmental Philosophy, at 7:30 p.m. at The Wilma, located at 131 S. Higgins Ave.

She will also deliver the seminar “The Next Energy Economy: Grassroots Strategies to Mitigate Global Climate Change” at 3:30 p.m. in the University Center Theater at UM.

Both events are free and open to the public. Doors will open an hour before each event.

As executive director of Honor the Earth, which she co-founded with the Indigo Girls, she works alongside indigenous communities on climate change, renewable energy and environmental justice.

LaDuke lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota, where she founded the White Earth Land Recovery Project, the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute and Akiing: Eighth Fire Project. She also runs Winona’s Hemp and Heritage Farm.

LaDuke has earned a global reputation as a leader on the issues of cultural-based sustainable development strategies, renewable energy and sustainable food systems. She is one of the leaders in the work of protecting indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering.

LaDuke was a co-founder and board co-chair of the Indigenous Women’s Network for 15 years, and she maintains a significant role in international advocacy for indigenous people. This has included numerous presentations at United Nations forums and involvement in opposition to projects impacting indigenous communities.

A graduate of Harvard and Antioch universities and a community fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues. Her six books include “Recovering the Sacred,” “All Our Relations,” “Last Standing Woman” and her newest work, “The Winona LaDuke Chronicles.”

In 1994, LaDuke was nominated by Time magazine as one of America’s 50 most promising leaders under age 40. She received the Thomas Merton Award in 1996, Ms. Woman of the Year (with the Indigo Girls) in 1997, and the Reebok Human Rights Award. In 2007, LaDuke was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, recognizing her leadership and commitment to community.

The President’s Lecture Series at UM consists of several talks throughout the academic year on vital topics by distinguished guest speakers. For more information visit http://umt.edu/president/events/lectures/, call 406-243-2311 or email prestalk@umontana.edu.

More From KSEN AM 1150