Bowling Green, Ky. - Wilma Mankiller, the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 14) at Western Kentucky University’s Mass Media and Technology Hall.

Her presentation, “Community Centered Leadership: Leading from the Heart,” is co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program, the Rodes-Helm Lecture Series, Leadership Studies, the Department of History and Potter College. This event is open and free to the public. Book sales and signing will follow.

Mankiller was born in Tahlequah, Okla., where she learned the hardships of rural poverty, and in 1957 was forced to move to San Francisco as part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Relocation Program. She became chief of the Cherokee nation in 1985; though her candidacy for chief was initially opposed by many people who did not want a woman as their leader, she eventually won the respect of the entire Cherokee nation.

Mankiller is an important advocate for minority and women’s rights, and during her tenure, the Cherokee nation became a significant influence on social, economic, and political policy. Mankiller says that Native American women are taking on tribal leadership roles in the same way all American women are becoming more active in politics.

Mankiller has said, “Contrary to what you’ve read in history books, not all tribes were controlled by men. Progressive and with a tradition of matriarchy in which women chose to educate the young men who would become leaders, the Cherokees lost track of that balance between the sexes when they adopted values of the American culture at large.” Humorous, witty, and a captivating storyteller, Mankiller is an astute observer of the American political scene.

Some of her honors include American Indian Woman of the Year, 1986; Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame, Governor’s Advisory Committee, 1986; Ms. Magazine, Woman of the Year, 1987; and the Indian Health Service Award, U.S. Public Health Service, 1989. She also holds an honorary doctorate from Yale University.

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For information, contact Women's Studies at (270) 745-6477.