The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a potential tool of revolutionary transformation in both domestic and global politics, often overlooked and under-appreciated. The real potential for that transformation lies in implementation of Indigenous rights, which necessarily involves considerable systemic change on both the domestic and international levels, all of which is intended to create a better life for Indigenous peoples and communities. While implementation of Indigenous rights faces significant challenges, important opportunities are also developing for turning principles into practice.

Sheryl Lightfoot (PhD – University of Minnesota, Political Science is Anishinaabe, a citizen of the Lake Superior Band of Ojibwe, enrolled at the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Baraga, Michigan. In 2018, Sheryl was appointed to the role of Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs, a position within the First Nations House of Learning. She is an associate professor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies and the Department of Political Science.

Her book, Global Indigenous Politics: A Subtle Revolution, was published in May 2016 by Routledge Press in their “Worlding Beyond the West” critical international relations book series.