Madison Fulton Papers

Madison Fulton, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, works for the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. in the Health and Human Services Department as a Health Promotion Specialist. She is of the Blacksheep Clan and born for the Salt People Clan. Her hometown is the Rough Rock community on the Navajo Nation. In December 2015, she earned a master's degree in American Indian Studies (AIS): Indigenous Rights and Social Justice at Arizona State University. The AIS program's emphasis of Indigenousness and Tribal Sovereignty created a strong foundation for her advocacy of Indian rights at the tribal, state, and federal levels. She pursued a Master's degree in AIS because she wanted to work for Indian nations and serve Indian peoples to create empowered communities through policy development, partnership building, and strategic planning. Her area of expertise is in policy development and case law regarding Tribal criminal jurisdiction, specifically on sexual assault cases, i.e. rape, and domestic violence committed on tribal lands. Her thesis focuses on finding solutions in Indian communities to better respond to sexual assault incidences and establish culturally appropriate care systems for sexual assault victims. She focuses on American Indian sexual assault victims/survivors because she envisions a different approach to helping victims/survivors heal from their sexual assault trauma that is grounded from cultural values and teachings of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and accountability. Instead of primarily relying on tribal justice and law enforcement systems to help individuals impacted by sexual assault, she concentrates on alternative strategies to restore health and wellness as a form of justice. She shares that working for Indian nations is a very fulfilling profession in the following statement: I've learned, as a health professional, I have a tremendous responsibility to the individuals and communities I work for. As a health professional I am merely a resource and visitor for the individuals and communities I work for. My primary role as a health professional is that I uphold the integrity of the communities I work for by conducting work that will benefit the health and wellness of the community.