Indigenous Justice Circle

In starting our third year as an Indigenous woman led organization, we are happy to announce our 2024 impact report. A few accomplishments: 1) We issued over $86,000 in grants & contracts to Native-led organizations to implement Indigenous girl societies in six major geographic areas. 2) Our IMAGEN Girl Society Program was taken up as a tribal best practice by the federally recognized Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (MLBO) tribal government. 3) Our work was selected for the American Psychological Association's (APA) "Culturally-Informed Trauma and Grief Recovery Toolkit." 4) We co-hosted with Population Council an event on the sidelines of the 2024 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: "Indigenous Girls' Movements: Strengthening Indigenous Systems & Self-Determination." 5) Our brief “The IMAGEN Story: A Framework for Restoring Indigenous Girl Societies” was listed as a primary Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) resource by the US Department of Health and Human Services. 6) We were featured speakers at the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, sharing information about the transnational Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) crisis, its historical roots, and what can be done to combat it. 7) We contributed an article “Indigenous Sovereignty Is the Key to Indigenous Gender Transformative Justice” to the Population Institute report “Revitalizing Population and Development in the 21st Century.” 8) We developed a Girl Society enrollment and attendance app, designed to act as an early warning system to locally combat MMIWG2S. 9) We joined PowHer New York for a virtual talk outlining factors to advance Native American Women’s Equal Pay. 10) IJC was proudly included in the Native Ways Federation Native Nonprofit List. 11) We joined a coalition of women-serving NGOs for the inaugural "Give To Women and Girls Day" event in NY, led by Amplify Her Foundation and Women's Philanthropy at Indiana University. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e-8JV9CV

Happy New Year to all!

We recently participated in a gathering convened by Dayspring Church at the Wellspring Conference Center in Germantown, Maryland. Each participant was asked to articulate their offers and needs. In our "Overview" section, we describe what we offer and now include a "needs" paragraph. This is a draft and will evolve. Please message us if you would like to connect! If you would like to help! In addition to financial support, our needs include:  ▪︎ Volunteer experts to speak to our network about:   - The Doctrine of Discovery   - Indigenous Data Sovereignty   - Preventing Missing, Murdered Indigenous Persons, Women, Girls, Two-Spirit   - Indigenous Men's Healing & Leadership   - Indigenous History, Healing, Truth Telling   - Repatriation of Native remains and funerary objects (NAGPRA)   - Other topics (Please message us!) ▪︎ Subsidized meeting &/or accommodation space, travel scholarships, and/or food donations/food prep for our annual in-person network workshop. ▪︎ Co-branded bling/merchandise to distribute at workshops, meetings. ▪︎ Reparations in the form of land, buildings or donated space to IJC or our tribal government or Native nonprofit constituents. ▪︎ Pro bono legal advice on Indigenous data sovereignty &/or reparations. ▪︎ Volunteers to coordinate direct mailings.

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Post #2 Self Defense — Nearly 80% of Native women will experience some form of physical abuse and over half will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetimes, according to Professor Sarah Deer. One core element of the portfolio of Indigenous Justice Circle regards the sacredness of women's and girls' bodies and self-defense training to increase their self-confidence and bodily integrity. Pictured: Inter-Generational Matriarchal Group of IJC's collaborator, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, a federally-recognized tribe in Minnesota. #16days #16daysofactivism #SGBV #againstGBV #mmip #MMIWG2S #mmiw #MMIWG #endgbv #endipv #gbvawareness #endvaw #endvac #nativeamerican #indiancountry #NYCagainstGBV #NYagainstGBV #NativesAgainstGBV

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Post #5 Improving Indigenous Women and Girls' Mental Health through Cultural Revitalization -- Native American mental health has been harmed by numerous policies designed to destroy our cultural values, norms and practices. The overarching goal was to solve "The Indian Problem" by assimilating Native peoples, so that over time we would no longer exist (Thomas Jefferson 1804). Indigenous peoples have survived, however, and we understand that cultural knowledge and identity are key to our well-being. Equity and balance of forces are key concepts within our Indigenous worldview. These principles have framed gender dynamics in Indigenous communities for eons. Native American women's equity, however, was seen as threatening to male colonial settlers. At the time of contact, the women of my tribe (Cherokee Nation, an eastern woodlands, Iroquoian speaking group): • Could leave a marriage/union without negative consequences such as GBV • Provided the lineage that children were traced through • Owned personal property • Called the shots in agricultural production and trade • Led religious ceremonies • Were judicial and political authorities as clan mothers As our rights and public roles began to be eroded with increasing encroachment of Euro-American laws and norms, our mental health suffered so that today: • Among Native American middle schoolers in New Mexico, 40% of girls vs. 14% of boys had seriously thought about killing themselves, and 22% of girls vs. 6% of boys had actually attempted suicide (YRBSS 2021). • Among adults in the U.S., Native American women had the steepest rise in suicide among any gender-race group between 1999 and 2019 at 139% (CDC 2019). • The Trevor Project found that among gender diverse young people, Native Americans had the highest rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts (Trevor Project 2021). There are a growing number of programs aimed at renewing our languages, customs and values. While "culture as wellness" is not new in Native American communities, few such efforts focus on the gender-specific benefits. Indigenous Justice Circle is asking how "cultural as health" affects the mental (and overall) health of Indigenous women, girls, men, boys, and gender fluid children and adults, recognizing that these subgroups are equal but uniquely distinct. Stay tuned for more news about gender-specific, culturally-grounded, mental health projects we have coming up!!! Pictured: WWHY (Strong, Brave, Energetic, Awakened) girls' program of IJC's collaborator, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, Porcupine, South Dakota, Pine Ridge, Oglala Lakota, Reservation. #16days #16daysofactivism #SGBV #againstGBV #mmip #MMIWG2S #mmiw #MMIWG #endgbv #endipv #gbvawareness #endvaw #endvac #nativeamerican #indiancountry #NYCagainstGBV #NYagainstGBV #NativesAgainstGBV #AmericanIndian #AIAN #nativehealth #mentalhealth #Lakota #PineRidge

This #GivingTuesday make sure you #GiveNative! Indigenous Justice Circle is part of an incredible group of Native-led non-profits featured by the Native Ways Federation. Native American organizations receive less than 0.5% of charitable funding, help us close this gap by supporting our work empowering #Indigenous girls, women, and Two-Spirit youth! Donate here: https://lnkd.in/eyrEDJRM Check out the full list of Native non-profits: https://lnkd.in/gBHvkRZs #IndigenousJustice #Philanthropy #NativeWomen #NativeGirls #GenderJustice #TwoSpirit #2SLGBTQ #LGBT #GenderEquality #Donate

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Post #3 Healing Through Social, Civic and Political Participation -- Sexual assault, domestic and family violence isolate, control, and silence their victims. Participation in the public space and social/civic connections are key to healing from the aloneness, lack of autonomy, and pain. According to Advance Native Political Leadership, in the recent US election a record-breaking 246 Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians in 25 states ran for a non-tribal government political office. 60% of Native candidates won their elections.  86% of Native incumbents retained their office. The civic participation program of Indigenous Justice Circle helps Native American girls and women enter and navigate public, social, civic and political spaces with purpose, skills and confidence. This is healing medicine for many who have experienced multiple forms of violence. Pictured: Little Shell Band of Chippewa workshop, Great Falls, MT, and Minneapolis, Minnesota inter-tribal workshop participants mapping safe vs. unsafe spaces in their communities (photo credits: Eva Roca, PhD, MHS and Stephanie Martinez) #16days #16daysofactivism #SGBV #againstGBV #mmip #MMIWG2S #mmiw #MMIWG #endgbv #endipv #gbvawareness #endvaw #endvac #nativeamerican #indiancountry #NYCagainstGBV #NYagainstGBV #NativesAgainstGBV

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Post #1 Indigenous Justice Circle (IJC) works to prevent gender-based violence 365 days a year. During this year's 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, I will post periodically about various aspects of our work. IJC seeks to not only connect, protect and uplift Native American girls and women, but to also contribute to healing and well-being of boys and men. Today's post: Inter-Generational Safety Networks — The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person's (MMIP) crisis is exacerbated by Native people’s geographic and social isolation, lack of access to economic resources, and a dearth of culturally-appropriate services. IJC’s work strengthens MMIP early warning systems in Native American communities and increases safety and belonging through Intergenerational Women's and Girls' Societies that operate locally and are interlinked through our Indian Country Network, called IMAGEN. We hope to expand our future work to also reach men and boys with their own intergenerational, culturally-appropriate gender-specific groups. Pictured: Inter-Generational Matriarchal Group of IJC's collaborator, 100 Horses Women's Society, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Lands, South Dakota. #16days #16daysofactivism #againstGBV #mmip #MMIWG2S #mmiw #MMIWG #endgbv #endipv #gbvawareness #endvaw #endvac #nativeamerican #indiancountry #NYCagainstGBV #NYagainstGBV #NativesAgainstGBV

What are the root causes behind persisting pay gaps for Native women? Kelly K. Hallman, Founder and Executive Director of Indigenous Justice Circle outlined key issues behind economic inequity in a #NativeWomensEqualPay Day interview with PowHer New York. Native women continue to face: 1. Lack of access to financial education, credit cards, and business loans 2. Caretaking responsibilities that limit their career opportunities 3. Transportation barriers 4. Lack of access to housing and increased domestic violence Watch the full video interview to hear more about historical causes of Native women's inequality, and solutions to close the wage gap. https://lnkd.in/dF6HZPck #EqualPayNY #EquityforNativeWomen

Today is #NativeWomensEqualPay Day. In New York State, Native American women earn $0.54 for every $1.00 a white non-Hispanic man does. Check out my interview with PowHer New York about how this wage gap emerged and what can be done to close it. https://lnkd.in/dqRGxR8C Indigenous Justice Circle #equalpayNY