Honoring the Women of Wounded Knee ‘73 | February 24-26, 2024, RAPID CITY SD

DAKOTA AIM & WE WILL REMEMBER SURVIVAL SCHOOL

Weekend Event Co-hosted with Dakota AIM

In collaboration with Dakota AIM, Warrior Women Project hosted a weekend-long event in Rapid City dedicated to the history of the American Indian Movement in the Dakotas. The event featured storytelling circles and roundtable discussions, where young people had the unique opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of local AIM history from elders such as Phyllis Young, John Thomas, and Madonna Thunder Hawk. An interactive timeline was created from the stories shared, allowing participants to engage deeply with the historical narratives.

The Warrior Women Project (WWP) recorded the entire event to ensure this vital history is preserved for future generations. Additionally, we photographed original documents, posters, t-shirts, and badges that attendees brought in. These items will be added to WWP’s community archive, enriching our collective memory.

We Will Remember Survival School (WWRSS) 50th Anniversary Reunion

Celebrating 50 years since its founding, the We Will Remember Survival School (WWRSS) held a commemorative event honoring its founders and students, which also served as the school's first reunion. This gathering provided a platform to document an essential yet previously undocumented chapter of the movement for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.

In just one day, our team conducted interviews with 14 former students. These interviews have been shared with the narrators and their families and are currently being processed for inclusion in our archive.

Community Meal and Honor Ceremony

The event concluded with a community meal attended by over 200 people in Rapid City, celebrating Madonna Thunder Hawk, co-founder of We Will Remember Survival School. Madonna was honored with a star quilt embroidered with the AIM logo and the Wounded Knee flag, presented by her former students. The Lakota youth drum group, Stampede Jrs., performed an honor song, making the event a heartfelt tribute to her contributions.

By hosting these events and preserving these stories, the Warrior Women Project continues to foster cultural revitalization and document the ongoing struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.

There are many more layers of this history yet to be told and we are calling on your support to help us work with the community to share it. Donate today!