Carolyn DeFord will lead a discussion entitled “Let’s Talk About The Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and People Crisis,” as part of the city of Kent’s Equity and Inclusion Speaker Series.
DeFord is a mother, grandmother and a member of the Puyallup Tribe. She has been an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women since her mother Leona Kinsey disappeared in 1999.
The free discussion is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Green River College Kent Campus, 417 Ramsay Way, Suite 112, at Kent Station.
DeFord’s personal experiences as a survivor and being the daughter of a long-term missing person inspired her to create Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW); a grassroots volunteer advocacy organization focused on finding the missing women and helping the families of murdered women cope with their grief. She is a board member for the Inter-tribal Coalition Against Violence, Washington Against Sex Trafficking, and the Washington State MMIWP Task-force. She works tirelessly to address domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and missing and murdered Indigenous women and people with her work.
The discussion will include important information about the history and causes of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People crisis, according to the city of Kent.
“The discussion will examine the data illustrating scope of the crisis, and look at steps we can take as community to find common ground so that we can all thrive together,” according to the city of Kent. “Participants will leave this presentation empowered with knowledge to be a part of the solution.”
The city of Kent’s Equity and Inclusion Speaker Series features distinguished leaders who contribute expert knowledge and diverse perspectives to our collective discussion around concepts like Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. All interactive presentations and workshops are free to the public.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
