Events › Author Mary Annette Pember: Medicine River

CPL welcomes journalist Mary Annette Pember to discuss her new book Medicine River: A Story Of Survival And The Legacy Of Indian Boarding Schools.

Ojibwe journalist Mary Annette Pember’s mother was forced to attend one of these institutions—a seminary in Wisconsin, and the impacts of her experience have cast a pall over Mary’s own childhood, and her relationship with her mother. Highlighting both her mother’s experience and the experiences of countless other students at such schools, their families, and their children, Medicine River paints a stark portrait of communities still reckoning with the legacy of acculturation that has affected generations of Native communities. Through searing interviews and assiduous historical reporting, Pember traces the evolution and continued rebirth of a culture whose country has been seemingly intent upon destroying it.

Mary Annette Pember is an independent journalist focusing on Native American issues. She has reported on the high rates of sexual assault experienced by Native women, sex trafficking, health, the impact of historical trauma on Native communities and environmental challenges on Native lands, federal policy issues, and cultural topics. Her work has appeared in Indian Country Today, ReWire News, Truthout, Yes! Magazine, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Colorlines, The Atlantic and others. She is past president of the Native American Journalists’ Association and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mary will be in conversation with Dr. Dorene Wiese. Dr. Dorene Wiese, White Earth Ojibwe, enrolled, and descendent of the Oneida, Seneca, Dakota, and Brotherton nations, is the founding president of the American Indian Association of Illinois and CEO/ professor emeritus of NAES, Inc (formerly NAES College.) Dr. Wiese has also, served as a professor of American Indian studies courses at Eastern Illinois University and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. In addition, she rose through the ranks to become the highest ranking American Indian, Illinois Community College administrator, during her 20-year tenure with CCC. Her life’s work has been advocating for urban American Indian education and Urban Native health. She was the first American Indian appointed to the Cook County Health and Hospital Systems board, serving as the Chair, Human Resources for this multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Her artistic endeavors include serving as the artistic director for the Black Hawk Performance Company, the Chicago American Indian Museum Without Walls, the Chicago Native Leadership Academy and the Native Scholars Youth Media Dream Team. In 2022 Wiese was recognized as a Leader for a New Chicago by the Field and MacArthur Foundations.

How to Attend:

Doors to the Auditorium open at 5:30 p.m., and seating is first come, first served (350 capacity). Books are available for purchase and the author will autograph books at the conclusion of the program.

This event will also take place live on CPL's YouTube channel and CPL's Facebook page. You'll be able to ask questions during the event as well! Can't make it to the live stream? We'll archive the video on YouTube to watch later.

Accessibility

Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.

Photo credit: Neadahness Rose Green