Tickets: $20/Ali Center Member, $25/Non-Members, $15/Students, $200/Table of 10

Meet Marilyn Vann, President of the Descendants Of Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes, and lead plaintiff in the Cherokee Freedmen lawsuit to regain tribal citizenship. Early in the 1800s, some Cherokees acquired slaves. By 1861, there were 4,000 black slaves living among the Cherokees. After the Civil War, the tribe signed a treaty that granted former slaves, or freedmen, “all the rights of Native Cherokees.” But in 2007, Cherokees amended their tribal constitution, making “Indian blood” a requirement for citizenship. As a result, some 2,800 descendants of Cherokee freedmen were excluded from membership. Vann is currently leading the fight to regain their tribal citizenship.

Throughout the year, the Daughters of Greatness breakfast series invites prominent women engaged in social justice, activism, philanthropy, and social change to share their stories with the Louisville community. Previous guest speakers have included Gina Belafonte and Yolanda Ali. These women have followed in the footsteps of great traditions of social activism, and continued the work of those who have influenced them in their own lives. The Daughters of Greatness series provides a place for dialogue and discussion on current issues of community engagement, social movements, and how to make the world a better place.