Happy #IndigenousPeoplesDay - from the Kumeyaay, Chumash, and Umpqua whose lands I’ve lived on, to the Karen, Maasai, Tzotzil, and Lahu whose leaders I’ve worked with... Indigenous communities have helped me better see the beauty of life, creation, and community.
Next week, I have a podcast coming out that featured an interview with Carol Bremer Bennett, a leader from Navajo Nation. (Don’t miss it, subscribe to the #GrassrootsPodcast) She shared a few ways to better honor our Native neighbors:
✊🏾 Names matter. They’re written on the palm of God. Learn the names that each community want to be called by and use them.
✊🏾 Consider the holidays you celebrate. Celebrating Christopher Columbus is quite painful for indigenous people. Turning traditional clothing into a Halloween costume runs parallel to blackface. Thanksgiving is also a time that brings out a lot of racist stereotypes.
✊🏾 Challenge the use of tribal identities as mascots.
✊🏾 Remember that indigenous communities aren’t frozen in time. History is important, but pay attention to present day issues too.
✊🏾 Be an upstander whenever you encounter microaggressions.
(A part of this print’s sales will go towards Cultural Survival)
Indigenous People's Day