Wilma Mankiller will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 3 on Tacoma Community College’s main campus as part of the 2005-2006 Artist and Lecture Series.

Mankiller is the former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She was the first female in modern history to lead a major Native American tribe and is one of a handful of Native Americans to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her goal is to help Native Americans solve the social and economic problems they face.

Mankiller is the co-author of ‘Mankiller: A Chief and Her People’ and the co-editor of the Readers Companion to the History of Women in the U.S. She has also served as a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social services and has received 18 honorary doctorate degrees. In addition, she has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the International Women’s Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

The Artist and Lecture Series is sponsored by the Associated Students of Tacoma Community College and is designed to provide the student body with a well-rounded cultural program as well as help advance cultural awareness within the community. The public is welcome to attend.

Admission is free. The college’s main campus is located at 6501 S. 19th St., Tacoma. For more information, call (253) 566-5118.