Indigenous peoples around the world manage complex relationships with states while sustaining governance systems that predate colonial boundaries. In the United States, Native nations continue to defend their sovereignty and counter cultural misrepresentation. In sub-Saharan Africa, traditional authorities often bridge customary law and state institutions. Across these and other contexts, Indigenous leaders confront shared challenges: safeguarding land and resources, preserving cultural knowledge, securing legal recognition, and advocating for their communities within national and international frameworks. This forum convenes scholars, practitioners, and Indigenous leaders to examine how these leadership systems operate, how they evolved over time, and why they remain vital today.
2026-27 Jepson Leadership Forum Speakers
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Sept. 15, 2026 • 5:30 p.m. • Queally Center for Admission and Career Services
Beyond Invisibility: Changing the Way We See Native America
Stephanie Fryberg, member of the Tulalip Tribes and Patricia Telles-Irvin Professor of Psychology, founding director of the Research for Indigenous Social Action and Equity (RISE) Center, and director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) at Northwestern University
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Sept. 15, 2026 • 5:30 p.m. • Queally Center for Admission and Career Services
Beyond Invisibility: Changing the Way We See Native America
Matika Wilbur, a leading Indigenous voice in contemporary art, education, and storytelling; member of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes; author of Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America
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Oct. 26, 2026 • 5:30 p.m. • Jepson Alumni Center
Living with Rivers: A Tale of Cherokee Stewardship and a Fight with the Federal Government
Gregory Smithers, professor of American history at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of The Water Carriers: A Journey Through Cherokee History and the Secret Life of Rivers
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Feb. 11, 2027 • 5:30 p.m. • Jepson Alumni Center
Between State and Society: Traditional Authorities in Africa
Kate Baldwin, associate professor of political science and global affairs at Yale University, faculty fellow at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies, and author of The Paradox of Traditional Chiefs in Democratic Africa
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March 31, 2027 • 5:30 p.m. • Jepson Alumni Center
Congo Basin Hunter-Gatherers and the Current Threats to Their Survival
Jerome Lewis, professor of anthropology at University College London and author of The Revolutionary Origins of Language
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