Environmentalist and activist Winona LaDuke took part in the Clarke Forum’s first salon on Thursday Oct. 20, during which LaDuke discussed her involvement in food sovereignty, anti-pipeline activism and indigenous rights.

At 4:30 p.m. approximately 15 students and faculty gathered at the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues to discuss Winona LaDuke’s upcoming lecture.

The moderator for the event was Neil Leary, director of the Center for Sustainability Education, and members of the Clarke Forum. Leary opened the discussion with introductions and a short biography of LaDuke. The participants then raised and discussed questions regarding the materials they read in preparation for the salon, including an excerpt from LaDuke’s book The Winona LaDuke Chronicles – Stories from the Front Lines in the Battle for Environmental Justice.

“I thought it was very interesting how people were able to draw personal connections between their own lives and LaDuke’s work,” said Megan Bell ’19.

The Clarke Forum hosts approximately three salons each semester on engaging contemporary issues in order to promote a community of intellectual discussion on campus. The next salon will take place on Nov. 4 for a discussion of James McBride’s National Book Award winning novel The Good Lord Bird. The salon will be followed by a performance by McBride’s band on Nov. 15. Salons are invitation only.

On Thursday Oct. 27, LaDuke will present a lecture, “Native Harvest: The Politics, Health, Culture and Economics of Food” in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium (ATS).

LaDuke is the co-founder and executive director of Honor the Earth, an organization that strives to unify and provide funding for Native American communities working for environmental justice. In 1996 and 2000 she ran with Ralph Nader as the vice-presidential candidate for the Green Party. In 2007, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She has also won the 2003 International Slow Food Award for Biodiversity. In 1998, LaDuke, along with the Indigo Girls, was named Ms. Woman of the Year. She is the author of six books including The Winona LaDuke Chronicles – Stories from the Front Lines in the Battle for Environmental Justice, which will be available for purchase and signing after her lecture.