Suzanne Blue Star Boy
Suzanne Blue Star Boy, Ihanktonwan Dakota, is a Policy Advocate for the Indian Land Tenure Foundation in Washington DC. Working as a consultant she tracks key legislative and administrative actions affecting Indian lands and other areas of high significance to Indian people.
In 2003, VDay spotlighted Native American and First Nations Women in the United States and Canada. As Director of the V-Day Indian Country Project, Suzanne traveled across Indian Country to collaborate with Native American and First Nations women working to end violence against women. The project helped build coalitions to strengthen tribal commitments to end violence in their communities.
In addition to her work with Indian Land Tenure Foundation, Blue Star Boy consults with other foundations, government agencies, corporations and nonprofits around the nation that focus on health issues, domestic violence, welfare reform, tribal issues and women’s leadership organizing and advocacy. Throughout her career, she has worked as a Public Policy Specialist for Cangleska the National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women and for numerous Native organizations.
Blue Star Boy has served on the Board of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center for many years, and in 2003 was the recipient of the National Women’s Political Caucus’s “Women of Courage” award for her work in ending violence against Native women.