Being a Good Relative: Allyship with Indigenous Peoples

April 24 - June 26, 2024

Being a Good Relative

Allyship with Indigenous Peoples

Live Online Course with Alexis Bunten, Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri, and Cara Romero
See Details Below

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What does it mean to ‘be an ally’ to Indigenous Peoples?

Over the past 7 years, we have seen more and more non-Native friends, relatives and allies stand up for so-called “Indigenous causes.” These friends understand that “our issues” as Indigenous Peoples are actually “everybody’s issues,” and that the knowledge we bring has the power to address social and environmental issues rooted in settler colonization and capitalism.

In this multi-week course, the Bioneers Indigeneity Program team, Alexis Bunten, Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri, and Cara Romero, will lead you through a comprehensive learning journey to understand and come to embody what it means to be a good ally.

Through interactive teachings, discussions and hands-on activities, our instructors will provide step-by-step guidelines for building authentically respectful and meaningful partnerships with Indigenous Peoples. This learning journey will directly address such questions as: “What is an ally?” and, “How do we create spaces where genuine collaboration for social change is possible?”

Participants (co-creators in learning) will leave the course with the ability to apply these practical lessons to their own allyship. Common challenges the course will address include (but aren’t limited to): How to introduce yourself, to navigating reciprocity, and collaborative decision-making. And of course, because allyship is not mess-free, we will explore what to do when we suspect we have made some mistakes along the way.

This course has a very limited enrollment and is “first-come-first-served.” We hope you can join us for this live learning journey.

This course will run from April 24 - June 26, 2024, with classes taking place on Wednesdays from 12 - 2 pm (PT). Classes will be held via Zoom, and recordings of each class will be available for registrants not able to attend.

Course
Length

10 WEEKS

Start
Date

APR 24, 2024

Weekly
Sessions

WEDNESDAYS
12 - 2 PM (PT)

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

What does it mean to be a good relative?
How does settler colonization affect us all?
What steps can be taken to address intergenerational and ongoing harm to Indigenous communities?

RESPECT

RECIPROCITY

RELATIONSHIP

REVOLUTIONARY

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Bioneers Indigeneity Program Co-Director, Alexis Bunten, Ph.D, (Unangan/Yup’ik), is a researcher, writer, media-maker, and curriculum developer. After receiving a BA in Art History, Alexis returned to Alaska, where she worked at the Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Subsequently, Alexis earned a PhD in Cultural Anthropology at UCLA. She has published widely about Indigenous and environmental issues in academic and mainstream media outlets. Alexis has won several awards for her work from the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Bristol Bay Native Corporation, and others. Her 2015 book “So, How Long Have You Been Native? Life as an Alaska Native Tour Guide” won the Alaska Library Association Award for its originality and depth. Her current children’s book, Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story, won the New England Book Award in 2022.

Bioneers Indigeneity Program Manager, Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri (Diné) is a farmer, educator, and from West Oakland. She has worked as a farmer and educator with a background in Mechanical Engineering. She is also a Veteran Farm Educator at the Gill Tract Community Farm in Albany, an volunteer-led farm that provides food, medicine, and green spaces to the community. Nazshonnii is passionate about STEM education and advocates for exposure and opportunities for historically excluded people, Black and Native youth in particular. As an educator, Nazshonnii has provided middle and high school youth with the space to learn about STEAM at the intersection of ancestral knowledge and their lived experiences. Creating space for Oakland youth to thrive in disciplines like engineering. Her community work includes facilitating educational land-based workshops, advising youth-led projects, and leading professional developments for Oakland and Berkeley school districts.

Bioneers Indigeneity Program Co-Director, Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), is a non-profit leader, communicator, change-maker and award-winning artist. She brings special expertise in working directly with tribes, and in producing cultural events and gatherings. Prior to joining Bioneers in 2011, Cara served as the first Executive Director of the Chemehuevi Cultural Center and was an elected member of the Chemehuevi Tribal Council from 2007-2010. She served as the Chair of the Chemehuevi Education Board and the Chemehuevi Early Education Policy Council. With degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Fine Art Photography, Cara has won numerous awards for her photography, including the Southwest Associations of Indian Art’s Best of Classification award (twice) and has been published in National Geographic and is widely collected by public and private institutions worldwide.

April 24 - June 26, 2024