Lily Gladstone Addresses Violence Against Indigenous Women in Powerful Speech

The 'Killers of the Flower Moon' actress highlights the ongoing epidemic and the role of the FBI, while praising the work of the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center.

Lily Gladstone, actress in Martin Scorsese's new film 'Killers of the Flower Moon', gave a powerful speech at Variety's Power of Women event, addressing the ongoing violence against Indigenous women in the United States.
In her speech, Gladstone highlighted the irony of her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio initially being slated to play an FBI agent, a role that would have perpetuated the false narrative of the FBI as saviors of Native women.
Gladstone praised the work of the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC), a non-profit organization working to end violence against Indigenous women, and shared her personal journey of activism through acting.
The actress also spoke about the lack of jurisdiction tribal and state governments have on tribal land, leaving the federal government as the only authority to prosecute violent crimes against Native people, a responsibility they often neglect.
Gladstone ended her speech by emphasizing the relevance of the story of 'Killers of the Flower Moon' to the current plight of Indigenous women, four out of five of whom will experience some form of violence in their lifetimes.