Rapid City, SD — Lily Mendoza (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) is influenced by the powerful matriarchs in her family and is committed to fostering a strong sense of cultural identity and resilience among the Lakota people. She believes her most significant contribution to her community is creating the Red Ribbon Skirt Society, an organization that addresses the difficult issues surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, helping families share their stories and influences national policies. With her Bush Fellowship, Lily will keep building on this work. She will seek teachings from Lakota elders, tribal leaders and sacred sites, and take time to heal herself so that she can lead from an informed Indigenous perspective and help more families find healing in Lakota lifeways.
