November 13th Panel Presentation - American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month

This event will feature a panel called "Changing Directions: Protecting Communities and Preventing Violence" moderated by Dana P. Williams, Dispute Resolution Manager, OEEO. The panel will include Elizabeth (Liz) Carr, Senior Native Affairs Advisor, National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC); Antony (Tony) Stately, CEO Native American Community Clinic; Phyllis Niolon/NCIP, Behavioral Scientist, Division of Violence Prevention; Delight Satter/CSTLTS, Senior Health Scientist, Office of Tribal Affairs and Strategic Alliances. Violence and the adverse experiences that result from violence are major public health issues. Indigenous people have suffered historical and ongoing trauma through multiple avenues such as assimilation, language and land loss, forced placement in Indian boarding schools, and racism and micro-aggressions. These traumas contribute to AI/AN inequities in exposure to violence. Data from many sources tell us that violence has no boundaries, crosses legal jurisdictional lines, and happens across all socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and geographic boundaries - but some children and families are at greater risk because of the historical, social, and economic environments in which they live. More and better data are needed to better understand these issues, particularly as they affect AI/AN peoples. In 2017, nearly 3,500 AI/AN peoples in the United States died as a result of fatal injuries. Violence-related deaths were among the top 10 leading causes of death for all ages among AI/AN peoples. Unfortunately, available data most likely underestimate violence experienced by AI/AN peoples. Data quality improvements are needed to address issues of racial misclassification and the lack of accurate AI/AN health data.