Please welcome the newest student organization to the Mitchell Hamline community – the Indigenous Women’s Law Society!
A 2023 report published by the American Bar Association in collaboration with the Native American Bar Association titled “Excluded & Alone” studied the experiences of Native American female lawyers. Unfortunately, this report found feelings of isolation and instances of harassment common for Native American women in the legal profession. The report urged legal professionals, law schools, bar associations and others to commit to allyship and take supportive action to help Native women attorneys, who make-up only .08% of all attorneys in the U.S. but are called to do so much for their families and communities.
We know that the virtues the dominant culture rewards in women (ex. agreeableness, extreme selflessness, silence) can lead to adverse mental and physical health outcomes. This is why women, especially women of color, are at higher risk to develop chronic pain, migraines, and depression while accounting for nearly 80% of all autoimmune diseases (see “Self-Silencing Is Making Women Sick”).
IWLS wants this to change. Because Native and Indigenous women face unique challenges in law school and the legal field, IWLS was founded to create a space where Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse law students are safe to be themselves and share the challenges they experience and the triumphs that propel them forward. The purpose of IWLS is to support and empower Indigenous women in the legal field so that they may have sustainable careers and healthy lives.
We invite the indigenous women of Mitchell Hamline and our allies to join us in community. Please fill out this form to be added to the IWLS email list and receive updates on future meetings and events.