When: 
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm

The NorthEast Two-Spirit Society presents for this year's National Native American Heritage Month:
 
Rights Denied: the Struggle for the Sacred and the Sovereign
An examination of the successes and failures of the American Indian Religious Freedom & Indian Child Welfare Acts.
 

This year marks the 30th anniversary of American recognition of the rights of Native peoples to practice traditional spirituality, forced underground after centuries of persecution. At the same time, Native American governments began to exercise a formal role in the decision-making processes governing Indian families and children after the devastation of stolen children, boarding schools and adoption. A panel of Native American leaders will examine the struggle and impact of these two government acts in affecting the human rights of the Native peoples.
 
Tuesday, Nov. 11th
6:00 to 8:00pm
 
LGBT Community Center
208 West 13th Street, Room #101 (note room change)
New York, NY 10011
 
For more details and to download a flyer visit www.ne2ss.org
 
Panelists
Sharon Day, Executive Director of Indigenous Peoples Task Force, a full service urban Native American institution that helps Native peoples face the daily battles of survival in an urban environment including housing, health, food, spiritual access and child welfare.
 
Tonya Gonnella Frichner, President and Founder of the American Indian Law Alliance.  Dedicated to preserving the sovereignty and human rights of all Indigenous peoples, Tonya is the current North American representative of Indigenous peoples on the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations.
           
Debra White Plume, Executive Director of Owe Aku, Bring Back the Way.  Owe Aku is a cultural and educational organization of traditional Lakota people who fight for sovereignty.  Deeply involved in preservation of cultural foundations, Owe Aku, under Debra's guidance, is on the front lines of defending sacred sites and communicating cultural tradition to future generations.
 
Moderated by Harlan Pruden
 
Admission is always free, though donations are accepted.
 
A growing List of co-sponsors (as of 10/25/08):  
Hosted by the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society with the help of: the American Indian Community House, Audre Lorde Project, Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way), American Indian Law Alliance, First Voices Indigenous Radio, Indigenous Peoples Task Force, Native Peoples Forum of New York University, Native American Council of Columbia University and National Native American AIDS Prevention Center.

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