Making Partnerships with Indigenous Communities: Lessons from San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco is arguably America’s most progressive city, at the cutting edge of intersectional culture change for social and environmental good. City leaders, officials and local NGOs have made land acknowledgments, removed racist murals, established an American Indian Cultural District, and, hand-in-hand with Native leaders, formed partnerships to restore public lands. In this session, some leading figures in the Bay Area Native community will lead a frank discussion about how to revitalize cities through these kinds of “re-indigenization” efforts. Join us to learn about the unique issues that San Francisco’s urban Indian communities face through stories about successes and mistakes that have been made on the road to reconciliation. With: Jonathan Cordero, Association of Ramaytush Ohlone; Quirina Geary, Chairwoman of Tamien Nation; Sharaya Souza, San Francisco American Indian Cultural District. Moderated by Alexis Bunten.
Indigenous Forum
May 13th | 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Panelists
Jonathan Cordero
Founder and Executive Director
Association of Ramaytush Ohlone
Jonathan Cordero, Ph.D. (Ramaytush Ohlone/Chumash) is founder and Executive Director of the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone and Visiting Professor in the Indigenous Law Center at UC Hastings. His important research has revised previous scholarship on California Indian and Spanish relations during the “Mission Period,” and he works as a consultant in both the public and private sectors, especially in the arts, as well as serving as a leader, speaker, and activist in the broader Ohlone and Chumash communities.
Sharaya Souza
Co-Founder and Executive Director
American Indian Cultural District
Sharaya Souza (Taos Pueblo, Ute, Kiowa), co-founder and Executive Director of the American Indian Cultural District (dedicated to recognizing, honoring and celebrating American Indian legacy, culture and people), is an ambassador for promoting equitable resource distribution to American Indian communities, increasing Native visibility and political representation, and protecting and preserving tribal cultural resources in the San Francisco Bay Area. She serves on the Climate Council, SFAC Monuments and Memorials Advisory Committee, Aquatic Park and Pier Planning Committee, Housing Policy Committee, HRC Racial Equity in the Arts Working Group, PG&E Equity Advisory Group, Environmental Justice Working Group, and the Human Rights Commission Roundtable. (americanindianculturaldistrict.org)
Alexis Bunten
Co-Director, Indigeneity Program
Bioneers
Alexis Bunten, Ph.D., (Aleut/Yup’ik), Co-Director of Bioneers’ Indigeneity Program, has been a researcher, media-maker, manager, consultant, and curriculum developer for organizations including the Sealaska Heritage Institute, Alaska Native Heritage Center, and the FrameWorks Institute. She has published widely about Indigenous and environmental issues, and is the author of So, how long have you been Native?: Life as an Alaska Native Tour Guide.
Quirina Geary
Chairwoman
Tamien Nation
Quirina Luna Geary, an enrolled citizen and Chairwoman of the Tamien Nation (the aboriginal tribe of Santa Clara Valley), studied linguistics at UC Davis and has worked for over 26 years to revitalize her heritage language, including by co-authoring a 600-page dictionary. Quirina is a cultural practitioner who works with state and local agencies to advocate for the protection and preservation of Tamien Nation ancestors, cultural resources and sacred landscapes.
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