Course Description

Instructor: Jill Parks

Join us for a special Lunch & Learn as we celebrate three remarkable Native American women whose courage, leadership, and talents helped shape American history.

• Zitkála-Šá, a Yankton Dakota writer, educator, and activist, fought to preserve Native American culture and advance Indigenous rights, including voting rights.
• Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, championed tribal sovereignty, education, healthcare, and community well-being.
• Maria Tallchief, an Osage woman and pioneering prima ballerina, became one of America's most celebrated dancers and helped transform American ballet.

Discover the inspiring stories of these extraordinary women and the lasting legacies they created through literature, leadership, and the arts.

Make it a lunch date with lifelong learning!

Bring your favorite lunch, and we'll provide dessert! No time to pack something? There's a café conveniently located right across the street from OLLI, making it easy to grab a bite on your way in.

Enjoy a fascinating presentation, good conversation, and an opportunity to connect with fellow OLLI members.

FREE for OLLI Members! Registration is requested so we can plan accordingly.

Course Outline

 Instructor: Jill Parks

Join us for a special Lunch & Learn as we celebrate three remarkable Native American women whose courage, leadership, and talents helped shape American history.

• Zitkála-Šá, a Yankton Dakota writer, educator, and activist, fought to preserve Native American culture and advance Indigenous rights, including voting rights.
• Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, championed tribal sovereignty, education, healthcare, and community well-being.
• Maria Tallchief, an Osage woman and pioneering prima ballerina, became one of America's most celebrated dancers and helped transform American ballet.

Discover the inspiring stories of these extraordinary women and the lasting legacies they created through literature, leadership, and the arts.

Make it a lunch date with lifelong learning!

Bring your favorite lunch, and we'll provide dessert! No time to pack something? There's a café conveniently located right across the street from OLLI, making it easy to grab a bite on your way in.

Enjoy a fascinating presentation, good conversation, and an opportunity to connect with fellow OLLI members.

 FREE for OLLI Members! Registration is requested so we can plan accordingly.

Bio: Jill Fein Parks was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She holds a BA degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and did graduate work in education at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. She taught in the public schools for several years in Rhode Island, Arizona, and Florida. She left teaching to become the first female switchman for the Southern Pacific Railroad in Salt Lake City in the early 1990's. Ms. Parks became politically active while at the University of California, Berkeley, protesting the war in Vietnam. After moving to Rhode Island in the early 1970's, she became a leader of the Pro-Choice Movement giving speeches around the state, debating, and publishing articles. Due to her involvement in Pro Choice activities, she was followed by the FBI for months. She received her FBI file of over 100 pages from the Freedom of Information Act. She helped organize marches in Washington DC and around the country for the Equal Rights Amendment and for the Right to Choose.In 1986 Ms. Parks ran as a socialist candidate for US Senate in Washington.In 2015, Ms. Parks participated on a visual arts tour of Cuba with The University of New Mexico Latin American & Iberian Institute and Tamarind Institute. She shared her experiences at a Lunch and Learn at OLLI.She has taught several classes at OLLI since her retirement in 2012 from Kaiser Permanente as HR Manager.