On today’s show we’re rebroadcasting an interview from 2019 in which outgoing News Director Chali Pittman interviewed Ada Deer, the late Native American social worker, activist, professor, lobbyist, and author. They talk about Deer’s life, work, and American Indian history. 

Deer grew up on the Menominee Reservation and graduated from UW–Madison with a degree in social work. She later taught courses that fused Indian history and social work. She also served as Assistant Secretary of the US Department of the Interior as the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was the first woman to fill this position. In 1992, she was the first Native American woman to run for Congress in 1992 and also ran for Wisconsin Secretary of State.

Deer’s memoir, Making a Difference: My Fight for Native Rights and Social Justice, was published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 2019. 

Featured image: cover of Ada Deer’s memoir, Making a Difference. 

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