Working in a library, every day is filled with stories. Whether it is stories from patrons, from coworkers, or from the books on the shelves, I am always excited to hear from the people I get to interact with on a daily basis. The library is a great place for stories to be told and for members of the community, both local and regional, to learn from and about one another. Several years ago, the Herrick District Library hosted a filmmaker from Detroit who directed and produced a documentary that explores the restorative justice in the tribal court systems here in Michigan. The filmmaker, Audrey Geyer, visited with us as we watched her documentary called Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice and then answered questions from viewers about her experience with the individuals she interviewed for her documentary. Here is a brief synopsis of the film:
'Warrior Lawyers' (2021) is a one-hour PBS documentary that is particularly timely and relevant given our country's current reckoning with racial inequity, institutional racism and social injustice. The program focuses on the stories of Native American Lawyers, Tribal Judges and their colleagues who work with Native Nations, their citizens and mainstream institutions to achieve Sacred Justice. These unseen role models strive daily to address and resolve unique and complicated historical, governmental, legal, judicial and social welfare issues, which are most often rooted in discrimination, historical trauma and cultural destruction. Come take a journey into past and present day Indian Country to learn of untold stories that shine a light on Native Americans rising up to create a new path for today and for the next Seven Generations.
If you would like to learn more, please feel free to reach out to us at Herrick District Library and we would love to provide you with more resources.
Additionally, if you would like to read stories by indigenous authors, here is a list of some great books by indigenous authors in our collection that you might enjoy:
