Independent Lens

Young Lakota

When South Dakota abortion politics bring political turmoil to the doorstep on the Pine Ridge Reservation, three young idealists and the tribe's first female president have to decide how far they will go to change politics as usual in their own community.

Coming to Independent Lens: Young Lakota

30s

Three young people living in the Pine Ridge Reservation try to forge a better future. When the first female President of Oglala Lakota defies a South Dakota law criminalizing abortion by vowing to build a women’s clinic in their sovereign territory, the three young tribe members are faced with difficult choices.

Previews + Extras

  • Young Lakota: The Difficult Decision: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Young Lakota: The Difficult Decision

    S15 E4 - 2m 1s

    In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Young Lakota, Sunny Clifford describes the difficult decision she faces: whether to remain on the Pine Ridge Reservation to help improve tribal conditions or to leave to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

  • Young Lakota: South Dakota Law Impact Oglala Lakota Tribal P: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Young Lakota: South Dakota Law Impact Oglala Lakota Tribal P

    S15 E4 - 1m 48s

    In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Young Lakota, Sunny Clifford sits with Cecelia Fire Thunder, the first female president of her tribe, during a newspaper interview about the controversy surrounding her decision to open an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

  • Young Lakota: A Bittersweet Farewell to the Pine Ridge Reser: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Young Lakota: A Bittersweet Farewell to the Pine Ridge Reser

    S15 E4 - 5m 15s

    In this video companion piece to the Independent Lens documentary, Young Lakota, Sunny Clifford says goodbye to her employer at the grocery store and to her twin sister, Serena, as she prepares to go away to college in England.

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