Who says that powerful women can only be featured during Women's HERstory Month? March is meant to highlight women, not limit the discussion of women who have changed the course of history. In this spirit, MMAI is hosting a special on-demand screening of "Mankiller" and a live discussion with the director, Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, and hosted by our Executive Director, Mary Smith.

"Mankiller" is the story of an American legend, Wilma Mankiller, who overcame rampant sexism and personal challenges to emerge as the Cherokee Nation’s first woman Principal Chief in 1985.  MANKILLER examines the formidable Wilma Mankiller's legacy and reunites the documentary team of Gale Anne Hurd and Valerie Red-Horse Mohl for their third and most powerful film.

As a child, Wilma’s family was relocated from Oklahoma to San Francisco. Although the move was traumatic, it was in the Bay Area during the turbulent 1960s that she became involved in the fight for civil rights and joined the Alcatraz Occupation. Wilma brought this passion back to her people. She was re-elected for three terms to serve as the Cherokee’s highest leader laying important foundations for the current Nation’s economic and cultural status as one of the most successful tribes in America. Although she considered herself a liberal democrat, as Deputy Chief, she served under a conservative Republican and was known as an uniter of all people. Wilma launched many cutting-edge initiatives that substantially improved living conditions during her tenure, and in 1990 she signed an unprecedented Cherokee Nation self-determination agreement with the federal government, in which the Nation took control of its funding, programs, and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In 1998, recognizing her impressive leadership and achievements, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Medal of Freedom.  A stalwart activist for women's rights, Wilma Mankiller was cited by the organizers of the January 2017 Women's March on Washington as one of the most important leaders in America's movement for equality. And yet, most people still don’t know her name. MANKILLER reminds audiences of servant leadership's true meaning and serves as a wake-up call to take action for positive change.