Winona LaDuke

Winona LaDuke, an Anishinaabe from the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, is a Harvard graduate with a master’s in Rural Development. An author of seven books, including the novel Last Standing Woman, she is recognized as a rural development economist, curator, and long-standing advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental justice. LaDuke began her work in the late 1970s addressing Indigenous rights at the United Nations and has since engaged deeply with energy policy issues, from uranium and coal mining to pipelines and dam projects. In her community, she has led oral history and land rights initiatives, renewable energy development, and fiber hemp production. She is also co-founder of the Giiwedinong Museum of Treaty Rights and Culture. Twice nominated as the Green Party’s candidate for U.S. Vice President, she also received an electoral college vote for President, reflecting her national influence.