Author To Spotlight Gun Violence, Indigenous Women’s Lives in Lecture at SUNY Oneonta
By FLORECITA SILVERIOSUNY Institute for Local NewsONEONTA
SUNY Oneonta will welcome students and community members to campus this Monday, October 6 to hear author Toni Jensen deliver the annual Mills Distinguished Lecture. Jensen is the author of “Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land,” which is the university’s 2025-2026 Common Read book. The Mills Lecture is a centerpiece of SUNY Oneonta intellectual life that connects classroom study with real-world issues. The event is designed to spark dialogue, bring nationally-recognized voices to campus, and encourage meaningful conversation about topics that matter both locally and globally.
Published in 2020, Jensen’s acclaimed “memoir-in-essays,” “Carry,” was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, an international award given to writers whose work promotes peace and social justice. Her body of work consistently explores the intersections of personal narrative and history, weaving together stories of survival and resilience while confronting the ongoing legacies of violence in America.
“Carry,” specifically, takes on themes such as gun violence, the meaning of land and place, and the lives of Indigenous women. Jensen is Métis, an Indigenous population in Canada with mixed ancestry from both First Nations and European settlers. In the five years since the book was published, it has been praised for its honesty and ability to illuminate difficult truths without losing sight of hope and resilience.
The choice of “Carry” for this year’s Mills Lecture was intentional and deeply relevant.
