Nov 12, 2026

How Settlers Get Away With Murder

The Killing of Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit People in the Americas

Liza Black

Hosted by Christina Gessler

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Summary

Since the arrival of Columbus, thousands of perpetrators have gotten away with murder, burying evidence of their crimes in police reports and court testimony. How Settlers Get Away with Murder: The Killing of Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit People in the Americas (Beacon, 2026) unearths that hidden evidence to expose the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people (MMIW2S).

Historian and citizen of Cherokee Nation Liza Black examines five cases in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, from 1908 to 2017. Rejecting narratives that blame victims’ poverty or trauma, Dr. Black dissects police files, coroners’ reports, and court records to uncover a harsh historical reality: The evidence of settler violence has been hiding in plain sight.

This landmark work delivers a damning verdict: The same systems of law and policing that have targeted Native people for centuries have also shielded their killers. Through meticulous archival interrogation, Dr. Black demonstrates how police, courts, and coroners have functioned not as instruments of justice but as pillars of a system designed to protect settler violence.

Guest: Dr. Liza Black is a historian who employs forensic archival methods within 19th and 20th century North America. As a 2024–25 Racial Justice Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, she excavated institutional and state-sanctioned archives to trace asymmetrical sovereignty. Her research there resulted in How Settlers Get Away with Murder: The Killing of Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit People in the Americas (Beacon, 2026).

Host: Dr. Christina Gessler is an experienced writing coach and developmental editor for academics. She is the creator, producer and host of the Academic Life podcast. She holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore the stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell.

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Christina Gessler

Dr. Christina Gessler holds a Ph.D. in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the creator and executive producer of the Academic Life podcast, and writes the show's newsletter ChristinaGessler.Substack.Com featuring curated playlists and writing advice. She is a writing coach and developmental editor for academics.

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