And So We Walked: DeLanna Studi and the Trail of Tears

DeLanna Studi dreamed of following the footsteps her ancestors were forced to travel along the Trail of Tears. In 2015 the Cherokee actor, writer, and activist embarked on a six-week journey to retrace the path her great-great-grandparents took in the 1830s when they were forced to relocate from their homelands with more than 17,000 Cherokee people. A powerful one-woman show honoring indigenous people everywhere, And So We Walked recounts her incredible 900-mile journey to truly understand her own identity and the conflicts of her nation. In an exclusive event for the Moss, Studi performs excerpts from the play and engages in a conversation with Mae Hey, assistant professor of American Indian Studies at Virginia Tech. Studi has originated roles in more than 18 world premieres, including 14 native productions, and she has received numerous awards for her performances in the Hallmark/ABC mini-series Dreamkeeper and Chris Eyre's Edge of America. She is an ensemble member of America's only equity Native American theatre company, Native Voices at the Autry, and serves as chair of SAG- AFTRA's National Native Committee. Studi mentors for the Mentor Artist Playwright Program, Young Native Playwrights, and American Indian Film Institute's Tribal Touring Program. Her artist-in-residencies include the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Wisconsin. And So We Walked is her first play. This play contains adult themes. Presented in celebration of Indigenous People's Day, in partnership with the American Indian and Indigenous Community Center