Sarah Deer, a member of the Muscogee Nation and leading expert on violence against Native women, will deliver remarks on addressing missing and murdered Native women in Nebraska from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Nebraska Union Auditorium.

Deer is a leader in understanding and addressing violence against Native women and impunity for this violence. A professor of women, gender and sexual studies and public affairs and administration a the University of Kansas, Deer is a lawyer by training and an expert in jurisdictional issues that affect how the American criminal justice system responds to violence against Native women. Her research has been published across a wide array of academic and law journals. In recognition of her research work, she was named a MacArthur Fellow, an award commonly known as the “Genius Grant.” Her work has also been recognized by the American Bar Association and the U.S. Department of Justice.

She has also been an effective activist for Native women’s rights to be free from violence. Her testimony to Congress has been lauded as a key factor ensuring both the 2013 re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act and the 2010 passage of the Tribal Law and Order Act. In recognition of her effectiveness as a researcher and an activist, she was recently inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Deer’s remarks will be immediately followed by a reception, held at 8:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Heritage Room. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss issues of violence against Native women with Deer, as well as to enjoy complimentary refreshments.

The event is free and open to the public.