The Indigenous Speakers Series is honoured to present Sarah Deer, acclaimed legal scholar and advocate widely recognized for her work addressing violence against Indigenous women and advancing Indigenous feminist approaches to law and justice.
About the speaker
Sarah Deer is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma and a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, where she holds a joint appointment in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and the School of Public Affairs and Administration. A lawyer by training and an advocate in practice, her scholarship explores the intersection of U.S. federal law and victims’ rights through the lens of Indigenous feminist legal theory.
Over more than two decades, Deer has worked alongside survivors and communities to address violence against Indigenous women. Her award-winning book, The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America, examines the historical and legal roots of gender-based violence in Indigenous communities.
Her contributions to Indigenous rights and legal reform have earned national recognition, including the American Bar Association Spirit of Excellence Award in 2016 and induction to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019. Deer was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2014 and a Carnegie Fellow in 2020. She also serves as Chief Justice for the Prairie Island Indian Community Court of Appeals.
At this Indigenous Speakers Series event, Justice Deer will present Sovereignty of the Soul – focused on the movement in the United States to address the high rates of sexual assault on reservations. The presentation will be followed by a moderated Q & A.
Portrait of Sarah Deer by Hawlii Pichette, Urban Iskwew.
Please note: Registration is appreciated but not required. Everyone is welcome!
The Indigenous Speakers Series is supported by a generous donation from TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment. The series is organized by a committee of Indigenous and settler faculty and staff from the Faculty of Arts and the Office of Indigenous Relations.
Watch past recordings from our Indigenous Speakers Series on YouTube.