AWC to host author event Wednesday
Patricia cutright to discuss book, sign copies
Arizona Western College is hosting author Patricia Cutright for a discussion event on her young adult book, “Native Women Changing Their Worlds.” As part of the NAU-YUMA Elevating Excellence Event Series, the public is invited to attend for free at the Schoening Conference Center at AWC’S Yuma campus, 2020 S. Avenue 8E, or Zoom on Wednesday, March 22, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
According to AWC, the book examines the lives of 12 Native American and First Nations activists and changemakers. Each chapter focuses on a different woman’s contribution to better their world, showcasing themes of perseverance, determination and education. Cutright also confronts the traumas endured by her subjects and is said to frequently reference the epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women
As a Lakota and an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Cutright’s writing debut intended to engage young adults in the history of Native women and the obstacles they’ve overcome to become strong community leaders. The book features women like Debra Haaland (Laguna), the first Native American to serve as the United States Secretary of the Interior, and the late Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee), an elite aeronautical engineer at Lockheed.
The college describes that this collection of biographies has been reviewed as an inspiring text, a valuable contribution to Indigenous history and was named as one of the best books of 2021 by American Indians in Children’s Literature.
A Q&A and book signing will follow the author’s presentation on campus, and books will be available for purchase at the event. In addition, print and electronic copies are available on loan at the Yuma County Library and the AWC/ NAU-YUMA Academic Library.
Book content includes the biographies of 12 Native women:
• Ashley Callingbull Burnham (Enoch Cree Nation)
• Henrietta Mann, PHD (Southern Cheyenne)
• Ruth Anna Buffalo (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation)
• Elouise Pepion Cobell (Blackfeet)
• Loriene Roy, PHD (Anishinabe, White Earth Reservation)
• Sharice Davids (Hochunk Nation)
• Roberta Jamieson (Kanyen’kehà:ka, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory)
• Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna)
• Elsie Marie Knott (Mississauga Ojibwe)
• Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee)
• Heather Dawn Thompson (Lakota, Cheyenne River Sioux)
• Emily Washines (Yakama Nation with Cree and Skokomish lineage)
To attend via Zoom, enter Meeting ID: 838 9486 9382, and use Password: 934852.
Sisko J. Stargazer can be reached at 928-539-6849 or sstargazer@ yumasun.com.