Visit this page for recent CCNN Newsletters, which announce upcoming events, spotlight members of our community, and dig into important stories impacting Native communities.

California Center for Native Nations Newsletter

Spring 2026

Announcements Spring classes in Native Studies CCNN Faculty are teaching some amazing classes this Spring in the History, English, and Ethnic Studies departments! We are especially excited to announce that Dr. Sean Milanovich is teaching a Cahuilla language class (CAH001), which meets Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5pm. See this living document for more! Have a class you’d like to be listed? Email CCNN@ucr.edu. Apply now!: NASP’s Gathering of the Tribes Summer Residential Program Apply for NASP’s Gathering of the Tribes Summer Residential Program, which will take place June 21-28, 2026. This exciting 8-day program is designed to give American Indian middle and high school students an opportunity to gain academic experience in a university setting. Application and more information available at nasp.ucr.edu. Applications are due April 17, 2026. See flyer below! Welcome to UCR, Erin Marie Lynch! We are delighted to welcome Erin Marie Lynch, who joined UCR as a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Creative Writing department this academic school year. Learn more about Erin’s work in the spotlight below. LCI seeking a Tribal Student Assistant The Governor’s Office of Land Use & Climate innovation (LCI) is seeking to hire a student assistant for the Climate Services Program, which helps organizations in California understand and use climate change information to advance climate adaptation across the state. This role will support climate resilience efforts in partnership with Tribal communities across California, including research support, coordination, engagement, and technical assistance activities connected to California's Fifth Climate Change Assessment. To learn more an apply, head to their website. Apply to be the 2026-27 UC Riverside Pow Wow Princess Applications are due Friday, April 24th. See flyer for details! We want to hear from you! It’s important to us that our newsletter serves the community. Do you have an upcoming event you’d like us to shout out, a topic you’d like us to cover, or a story you’d like to write and contribute? Follow the link below to submit a recommendation. Submit feedback & recommendations

Upcoming Events and Event Recaps Spring 2026 Events We hope to see you at these events this Sping! Updates and additional events will be posted on our Instagram page. NASP & CCNN Against Extraction Book Club; weeks 3, 6, & 9 (see below), INTS 3124 This quarter, NASP & CCNN are co-hosting a book club focusing on Against Extraction: Indigenous Modernisms in the Twin Cities by Matt Hooley, who is an Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College. Sign up here! All meetings will be held in the CCNN conference room, INTS 3124. We will meeting the following dates to discuss chapters in the book: Week 3: Wednesday, April 15 @ 11:30am; focusing on the Prologue, Intro, and Chapter 1 Week 6: Tuesday, May 5 @ 11am focusing on Chapters 2 & 3 Week 9: Wednesday, May 27 @ 11:30am, focusing on Chapter 4 & the Epilogue Film screening: Mahmoud Alhaj’s “The Right to See” and “Control Anatomy”; April 16 @ 6pm; INTS 1128     CCNN Book Talk with Dr. Matt Hooley; April 20 @ 12pm, HMNSS 1500 We invite you to a book talk with Matt Hooley, Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College, to discuss his new book, Against Extraction: Indigenous Modernism in the Twin Cities. Against Extraction traces Ojibwe interventions in Minneapolis and St. Paul from the mid-19th century to the present through Indigenous literary and visual art modernisms. Film Screening: Trinh T. Minh-ha’s “What About China?”; April 30 @ 6pm; INTS 1128 CCNN General Meeting; Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 11am - 1pm; location TBA We are excited to gather together those engaged in Native and Indigenous Studies work at UCR for our General Meeting to build relationships, share resources, and move the conversation forward collectively. RSVP here. “You’re No Indian” Film Screening; Thursday, May 21 at 5:30pm in INTS 1128 We are inviting CCNN members to a screening of “You’re No Indian” by director Ryan Flynn, followed by a group discussion to follow. Artwork Launch and Conversation with Weshoyot Alvitre; time, date, and location to be announced on our Instagram page!

Winter Event Recap We are so proud of all of the amazing events CCNN hosted and co-hosted this winter quarter!  We began the year with a collaborative event with the Special Collections team at the Rivera Library and NASP. On January 22nd, Silver Galleto (Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians) and Dr. Sherrie Smith-Ferri (Dry Creek Rancheria of Pomo Indians and Bodega Miwok) traveled to Special Collections to talk about the practice of Pomo basketweaving and teach attendees about some of the Pomo baskets in the Costo Collection. The next day, we had two back-to-back events. We co-sponsored NASP’s Around the Academic Fire, which showcased CCNN’s very own co-director, Dr. Kēhaulani Vaughn. Later that afternoon, we had the first of three Indigenous Book Club meetings, which we also organized with NASP. The book club read Bad Medicine: Settler Colonialism and the Institutionalization of American Indians by Sarah Whitt, and we were able to provide all participants with a free copy of Whitt’s book. We are excited to announce that we will be hosting another Indigenous Book Club with NASP this Spring quarter, focusing on Against Extraction: Indigenous Modernism in the Twin Cities by Matt Hooley (see flyer below!). To kick off week four of the quarter, CCNN and the Department of Ethnic Studies hosted Pōmaikaʻi Gushiken for a talk titled “Refusing "Queer Paradise:" Māhū Pedagogies of Queer Indigenous Re-Memory in Hawaiʻi.” Gushiken is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi and Uchinānchu educator and researcher from Nānākuli, Hawaiʻi, who taught us about his framework of "māhū pedagogies” and argued that māhū and queer Indigenous cultural workers refuse the colonial, settler homonationalist tourism narratives by centering queer Indigenous relationalities. On February 4, we hosted several cultural and educational workers from the Chemehuevi tribe on campus, along with several board of education members, to showcase the vibrant Indigenous community and resources available on UCR’s campus. You can learn more about their visit in the spotlight below. On February 17th, we co-hosted NASP’s talk with Kimberly Norris-Guerrero from the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production, who shared stories from her lively acting career and experience as a Native woman in the entertainment industry. We are looking forward to an event-packed Spring quarter ahead!

Spotlight Honoring Native Knowledge & Higher Education Pathways Gathering: an event recap The group gathers outside Sherman Indian Museum. Bird singers and dancers at the opening ceremony. A panel of Native undergraduate students speak to the group over lunch. Native undergraduate panel, facilitated by NASP president Alikoi Parra. A group photo of the Native undergraduate panel with NASP team Lina Tejeda and Joshua Gonzales. Showcasing the Oak project at the Student Success Center. Presentation from Foster Youth Support Services/Guardian Scholars. This February, CCNN and NASP hosted several cultural and educational workers from the Chemehuevi tribe on campus—along with several board of education members and staff from San Bernardino and Needles county—to showcase the vibrant Indigenous community and resources available on UCR’s campus. This was part of a two-day visit to UCR and Cal State San Bernardino, planned in collaboration with UCR alum Panda Armendariz, who is now the director of Tribal Relations at CSUSB. We began the visit as all visits should: with a shared meal at Zacatecas Cafe, the family-owned restaurant that has been an integral part of Riverside since it opened in 1963. After a night’s rest with full bellies, the group began the next morning with a tour of the Sherman Indian Museum, led by Auntie Lori (Lorene) Sisquoc. We then headed over to UCR, to officially welcome our guests to campus with an outdoor ceremony led by Michael Madrigal and Dr. Ray Huaute with several bird singers to follow. As we ate lunch, CCNN student worker and NASA president Alikoi Parra facilitated a panel of Native undergraduate students, who shared their experiences of navigating life at UCR. They spoke about the clubs they joined on campus, NASP’s summer program and other on-campus programming, mentorship they received from fellow Native students, staff, and faculty members, and some of the exciting classes they’ve taken at UCR. When asked how the board of education members could support them, they had a direct answer: teach accurate Native history in schools! Following lunch, we headed over to the Costo Collection for a tour led by Special Collections librarian Sandy Enriquez. The group then toured the Native American Garden with Michael Madrigal, and the Native American Students Program with the NASP team: Joshua Gonzales, Lina Tejeda, and Rachell Enriquez. When we arrived back in the Round Room, we were joined by Veronica Zendejas from UCR admissions, who talked about the admission office’s effort to recruit more Native students. Then, Stephen Morales from Foster Youth Support Services/Guardian Scholars spoke with the group about the incredible resources his office offers UCR students who are transitioning from the foster care system to university life. We closed with a conversation about how we can best support the Chemehuevi tribe, and invited them to visit again with their students who may be interested in UC Riverside. We are excited to continue to forge connections like these to support Native youth and share with them the vibrant Native community that has been fostered on UCR’s campus. We’re continuing this effort this quarter with a campus visit from students from Sherman Indian High School.

Spotlight Welcome to UCR, Erin Marie Lynch! We are delighted to welcome Erin Marie Lynch, who joined UCR as a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Creative Writing department this academic school year. Erin is an artist, poet, and educator, and a direct descendant of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (Ihánktoŋwan Dakota). Her creative practice spans ​​writing, digital media, performance, and archival material. She is the author of Removal Acts (Graywolf Press, October 2023), a collection of poetry that draws its title from the 1863 Federal Act that banished the Dakota people from their homelands. The collection, which was a finalist for the John Pollard International Poetry Prize and the CALIBA Golden Poppy Award, reckons with the present-day repercussions of historical violence.  On Friday, April 3, when CCNN hosted high school students from Sherman Indian High School, Erin generously hosted a writing workshop for the students, who had all recently won writing awards at Sherman. She moved through a couple of writing exercises with them, shared more about the path to publishing, and recommended some of her favorite places to read Native poetry. We are so lucky to have Erin on campus as a postdoc, and hope you’ll join us in sending her a warm welcome!

Winter 2026

Announcements New book release by CCNN Co-Director Mark Minch-de Leon! CCNN Co-Director Mark Minch-de Leon’s first book, Indigenous Inhumanities: California Indian Studies after the Apocalypse, published by University of Minnesota Press, is available in both Open Access and to order now! Winter classes in Native Studies CCNN Faculty are teaching some amazing classes this Winter in the Ethnic Studies, Music, and History departments! We are especially excited to announce that Dr. Sean Milanovich is teaching a Cahuilla language class (CAH001), which meets Monday - Thursday at 3pm. In addition, William Bauer is teaching a class on California Indian History (ESTS 180), Rebecca Kugel is teaching Native American Activism 20th-21st Centuries (HIST197), Xóchitl C. Chávez is teaching Popular Music Cultures of the United States (MUS 008), and Kēhaulani Vaugn is teaching a course on Native Women (ETST188). See this living document for more! Have a class you’d like to be listed? Email CCNN@ucr.edu. Call for Papers: CISSA Conference and Gathering The California Indian Studies and Scholars Association (CISSA) Council of Leadership welcomes submissions for the 2026 California Indian Studies Conference and Gathering to be held May 7-9, 2026 on Patwin homelands at the University of California, Davis. This year’s conference theme is Relationships of Dissent. Submissions are due Monday, February 23, 2026. Scan the QR code on the flyer below for more information! Rivera Library and CCNN invited Native basket weavers to visit Special Collections In partnership with Sandy Enriquez and Andrew Lippert from Rivera Library, CCNN invited different basketweavers as well as cultural practitioners to visit with the baskets that are within the Costo collection. Basketweavers provided vital information about the baskets including possible origins, materials used to construct, and tips for care and preservation. This ongoing project seeks to strengthen relationships between Native communities and UCR by centering Native expertise in the stewardship and care within the library’s collections. The program highlights the baskets as living archives that hold relationships to land, kinship, and community care. The program models ethical and reciprocal engagement with collections while strengthening CCNN’s collaboration with the UCR Library and Native artists and knowledge holders. CCNN team Kēhaulani Vaughn, Alikoi Parra, Daireeann Mancinas, Mark Minch-de Leon with baskets from the university’s basket collection. We want to hear from you! It’s important to us that our newsletter serves the community. Do you have an upcoming event you’d like us to shout out, a topic you’d like us to cover, or a story you’d like to write and contribute? Follow the link below to submit a recommendation. Submit feedback & recommendations

Upcoming Events and Event Recaps Winter 2026 Events We hope to see you at these events this Winter! Updates and additional events will be posted on our Instagram page. Pomo Baskets Talk with Special Collections; January 22, 2:30-3:30pm, Rivera 140 Along with the Special Collections team at the Rivera Library and NASP, CCNN will be co-sponsoring a visit from Silver Galleto (Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians) and Dr. Sherrie Smith-Ferri (Dry Creek Rancheria of Pomo Indians and Bodega Miwok). They will host a talk about Pomo baskets highlighting some baskets from the Costo Collection, as well as some of their own. These visits are ongoing and highlight baskets as living archive. Around the Academic Fire with Dr. Kēhaulani Vaughn; January 23, 11am, Costo 229 Join us Friday, January 23 to welcome Dr. Kēhaulani Vaughn, CCNN Co-Director. Hosted at the NASP Center, this series fosters dialogue between students, faculty, and community members on Indigenous scholarship, mentorship, and collective learning. “Refusing "Queer Paradise:" Māhū Pedagogies of Queer Indigenous Re-Memory in Hawaiʻi” with Pōmaikaʻi Gushiken; January 26, 2026 1-2:00pm, INTS 1111 Along with the department of Ethnic Studies, we will welcome Dr. Pōmaikaʻi Gushiken to campus to talk about his work. Dr. Pōmaikaʻi Gushiken is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi and Uchinānchu educator and researcher from Nānākuli, Hawaiʻi. Currently a UC Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA, he holds a PhD in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego. His research focuses on decolonization, queer Indigenous futurity, and the intersections of pedagogy, refusal, and ea in Hawaiʻi. Based on close readings of a queer Native Hawaiian ʻzine and LGBTQ+ travel writing about Hawaiʻi, this talk develops the concept of "māhū pedagogies" to argue that while settler homonationalist tourism narratives enact cultural prostitution by figuring Hawaiʻi as a "queer paradise" absent of Native resurgence, māhū and queer Indigenous cultural workers refuse colonial narratives by centering queer Indigenous relationalities that center generate decolonial futures. NASP & CCNN Bad Medicine Book Club; weeks 3, 5, & 7 (see below), location varies This quarter, NASP & CCNN are co-hosting a book club focusing on Bad Medicine: Settler Colonialism and the Institutionalization of American Indians by Sarah A. Whitt, who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global & International Studies at University of California, Irvine. Sign up here! We will meeting the following dates to discuss chapters in the book: Week 3: Friday, January 23 @ 1:30pm in INTS 3124 (CCNN conference room); focusing on the Introduction & Chapter 1 Week 5: Thursday, February 5 @ 2:30pm in 229 Costo Hall (NASP); focusing on Chapters 2 & 3 Week 7: Friday, February 20 @ 11am in INTS 3124 (CCNN conference room); focusing on Chapters 4 & the Epilogue   See below for a book celebration with author Sarah Whitt! Book Celebration with ​​Sarah Whitt; March 11, 11:30am INTS 1111 Following our book club, we will host Sarah Whitt, Assistant Professor of Global & International Studies at UCI to discuss her new book, Bad Medicine: Settler Colonialism and the Institutionalization of American Indians that was released by Duke University Press in March 2025. This will be an informal, celebratory gathering to reflect on the book and ask questions.   NASP Lecture Series with Dr. Kimberly Norris-Guerrero; February 17, 2026, 11am-1pm; INTS 1113 Join NASP & CCNN for a lecture from UCR’s very own Kimberly Norris-Guerrero, a professor in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production. Talk with Rose Soza War Soldier; February 23, 2026, 1-2:00pm, INTS 1111 In co-sponsorship with the department of Ethnic Studies, we will welcome Dr. Rose Soza War Soldier to campus, the director of the Native American Studies Program and Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at Sacramento State University. Stay tuned for more info about this talk as it gets closer. Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for upcoming community events!

Spotlight Cultivating Critical Conversations in “Truth, Memory, and the Land”   “Truth, Memory, and the Land” discussion group gathered with facilitator Lina Tejeda in the CCNN conference room.                 A photo of the Native plant garden at UCR, courtesy of Crystal Brachetti.                   In the Fall, Lina Tejeda, the program coordinator for the Native American Student Program (NASP), launched “Truth, Memory, and the Land,” a series that represents a notable step in decolonizing academic spaces. Through seminar-level discussions of short articles, “Truth, Memory, and the Land” provides preparation for advanced study and a long-overdue platform for conversations about the true histories of California Indian tribes. The first event, held in November 2025, focused on the article, “The Secret Treaties With California Indians,” written by Larisa K. Miller. Lina (Pinoville Pomo)—who joined NASP after receiving her Master’s from California State San Bernardino University—says that the series was born from her own academic experience: “I wanted to create programming that provides students with a space to participate in graduate-level seminar-style conversations,” Lina explained. Being a recent graduate that navigated the depths of coursework, she recognized that the discourse expected in graduate-level classes was often absent in undergraduate curricula. This series is designed to prepare students for the transition between undergrad and grad school, fostering confidence in their scholarly pursuits. At its core, the series is committed to developing foundational knowledge: “I wanted attendees to be able to learn about the true history of California Indians,” Lina says. Selection of materials is intentional and personal, focusing broadly on the history of Native Americans. Lina naturally gravitates towards California Indian history, and the title of the series emerged organically as a framework from the chosen readings. “It was so obvious to me that this is the way to start this series; with the truth,” says Lina. This would establish a powerful premise for all future discussions. The first event was filled with excitement and vibrant dialogue. Lina was particularly satisfied by this dynamic exchange, noting the importance of creating a welcoming environment where Native scholars can share the impact of treaties on our communities today. The presence of non-Native scholars enriched the conversation, highlighting a desire from the broader community to engage in this type of programming. Looking ahead, Lina’s goal for the series is to sustain participants’ excitement for learning while maintaining a safe and intimate environment that facilitates conversation among the attendees. While growth is welcome, preserving a space where everyone feels heard remains important. Its focus remains on nurturing impactful dialogue rooted in the trinity of truth, memory, and the land. This quarter’s “Truth, Memory, and the Land” conversation will be on February 24, 11:30am-1:30pm in INTS 3124 (CCNN conference room).

Fall Events Recap Fall was a busy quarter for CCNN, as the center continued to foster spaces for Native knowledge, art, and community dialogue. From foundational conversations about land stewardship to engaging with living archives, we enjoyed a quarter of collaborative partnerships and lively discussions. For the first event of the quarter, CCNN was honored to host Lina Tejeda, co-curator of the Fowler museum exhibition and NASP Program Coordinator. During the October 16th talk, titled “Fire, Feminism, and the Land,” Tejeda combined traditional arts, California Indian studies, and cultural revitalization to highlight the integral role fire plays in survival and ecological harmony.  Lina Tejeda, co-curator of the Fowler museum exhibition and NASP Program Coordinator during her October talk on “Fire, Feminism, and the Land” Jenni Martinez, Daireeann Mancinas, Lina Tejeda, Kēhaulani Vaughn, Alikoi Parra, Mark Minch-de Leon, and Joshua Gonzales following Lina’s talk, “Fire, Feminism, and the Land” The following week, attention turned to narrative sovereignty with a co-hosted screening of Pá’čapa: A Mt. Rubidoux Story. This documentary, directed by a team of Native women, reclaimed perspectives of Mount Rubidoux, challenging settler narratives. A powerful post-screening dialogue with the filmmakers and actor Kimberly Guerrero focused on women’s leadership in storytelling. Alikoi Parra, Daireeann Mancinas, Mark Minch-de Leon, and Kēhaulani Vaughn, with Pá’čapa filmmakers and actors Dr. Daisy Ocampo Diaz, Lorene Sisquoc, Rosy Aranda, and Kimberly Guerrero following Pá’čapa film screening and panel Mark Minch-de Leon, Lina Tejeda & Kēhaulani Vaughn at Pá’čapa film screening on October 23 Panel discussion following Pá’čapa film screening with Lorene Sisquoc, Dr. Daisy Ocampo Diaz, Rosy Aranda, and UCR professor Kimberly Guerrero In a more tactile engagement with heritage, “Basketry in the Costo Collection,” held in partnership with the UCR library, offered a hands-on connection to history. This program, launched on September 10th, invited weavers into a guided conversation with the university’s basket collection, viewing the baskets as living—as opposed to static—archives. Participants explored the intergenerational teachings of basket weaving, exemplifying CCNN’s approach to fostering reciprocal relationships with collections, weavers, culture bearers, and the UCR library. Baskets from Costo Basket Collection Costo Basket Project. Pictured here is Abraham "Abe" Sanchez, Master Basketweaver, and Ramona Rodriguez, California Indian Basketweavers' Association Board Member visiting the baskets on October 8th. We kicked off November by gathered together those engaged in Native and Indigenous Studies work at UCR for our General Meeting to build relationships, share resources, and move the conversation forward collectively. General meeting on November 6th On November 17, in collaboration with the Native American Student Programs (NASP) and the Buscadores Program, we hosted a “Natives in Higher Education Workshop” to demystify higher education pathways through direct mentorship from faculty like Dr. Raymund Papica. Building on commitment to supporting the next generation of Native scholars, we launched a new series titled “Around the Academic Fire” in November with Dr. Charles Sepulveda at the NASP center. This series aims to create a communal space for dialogue between students, faculty, and staff that gives students the opportunity to hear about the guests' academic journey and tribal background. A future session is planned for the Winter quarter featuring scholar Dr. Kehaulani Vaughn.  Attendees and organizers with Dr. Charles Sepulveda at NASP’s “Around the Academic Fire” in November. We ended the quarter with the Indigenous Truthtelling Symposium on December 2, a mini conference co-hosted with the Media and Cultural Studies department. This day-long symposium launched the Indigenous Truthtelling Project, a physical and digital site of engagement that brings together legacies of ongoing resistance to colonialism and commitments to Indigenous knowledge keepers. The symposium—featuring panels on art, poetry and translation, truthtelling and journalism, and organizing—centered solidarity between Palestinians and California Natives, creating a direct dialogue between experiences of settler colonialism, resistance, and renewal. Attendees experienced this dialogue through a profound art exhibition featuring work by Palestinian artist Mona Kadah, James Crosby, and Tongva and Scottish artist Weshoyot Alvitre. The exhibit created a mirrored landscape across two walls: one side bearing witness to Palestinian steadfastness (sumud) and the other reflecting Tongva presence and resurgence.  Khalid Akari, UCR alum and member of the Irvine 11, speaks to audience at the Indigenous Truthtelling Symposium as part of the “Solidarity and Sumud” panel Stephanie Lumsden(Hupa), Assistant Professor of Native American

Fall 2025

Announcements

WELCOME WESHOYOT ALVITRE! 

We are excited to announce that Weshoyot Alvitre has joined as CCNN’s Community Scholar in Residence. Read a spotlight on Weshoyot and the work that she’s doing for CCNN in the “Spotlight” section below.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALIKOI PARRA, THE NEW NASA PRESIDENT

We are thrilled to announce that the Native American Student Association elected Alikoi Parra as their new president. Alikoi (Kaswa’ Chumash) is deeply dedicated to building community and preserving Native culture. Read a spotlight on Alikoi written by Art Valles in the “Spotlight” section below.

NASP UNVEILS OAK TREE ART PROJECT IN THE STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER!

On September 23rd, NASP unveiled the much-anticipated Oak Tree Art at the Student Success Center. This art installation was conceptualized when our UCR Native community learned that a group of oak trees would have to be removed to make way for the SSC. See an event recap written by Alikoi Parra in the “Spotlight” section below!

RIVERA LIBRARY TEAM COLLABORATES WITH CCNN TO INVITE NATIVE BASKETWEAVERS TO VISIT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

In collaboration with CCNN, Sandy Enriquez and Andrew Lippert from Rivera Library, Special Collections have invited diverse basketweavers to visit Special Collections to view and engage with the baskets in the Costo collection. This project hopes to help Indigenous communities reconnect with the baskets and enrich the library’s records for each basket to facilitate better understanding and accessibility for the general public. This is an ongoing project that will continue in the fall.

FALL CLASSES IN NATIVE STUDIES 

CCNN Faculty are teaching some amazing classes this Fall in the Ethnic Studies, English, and History department! William Bauer, for example, is teaching a class on the borderlands (HIST 137), and Charlie Sepulveda is teaching Introduction to Native American Perspectives (ETST 007). See this living document for more! Have a class you’d like to be listed? Email CCNN@ucr.edu and cc Daireeann Mancinas (dmanc006@ucr.edu).

LOOK OUT FOR CCNN CO-DIRECTOR MARK MINCH-DE LEON'S BOOK—OUT SOON! 

CCNN co-director Mark Minch-de Leon’s first book, Indigenous Inhumanities: California Indian Studies after the Apocalypse, will be published by University of Minnesota Press in November of this year. The book is available to pre-order now, with an open access version on the way!

CCNN FACULTY HOSTED BY THE JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION 

CCNN faculty members Dr. Charles Sepulveda and Dr. Kehaulani Vaughn and their research group were hosted by the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education discussing their new publication, "Signs of Power and Dominance: The Logic of Elimination in Mathematics in Indian Boarding Schools.” It is set to be published open access this January in the journal.

Fall 2025 Events 

We hope to see you at these events this Fall! Updates and additional events will be postedon our Instagram page.

• NASP Open House; September 30th @ 12-2pm, NASP Office
  Native American Student Programs (NASP) invites UCR students, staff, and faculty
  to our space for our annual Open House as we welcome everyone back from
  summer break, inform students of resources and services we provide, and share our
  upcoming events.
• NASP Student Welcome; October 7th @ 6-9pm, Alumni Center
  NASP will host a student welcome that is open to everyone, but focuses on
  welcoming incoming Native students to our community. Stop by to say hello!

• Fire Kinship Lunch & Discussion; October 16th 12 - 1:30pm in INTS 1111

  Lina Tejeda (Pomo), co-curator of Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology
  and Art, is a recent M.A. graduate in history from California State University, San
  Bernardino, specializing in California Indian studies, museum/public history, and the
  repatriation of sacred cultural items. As a traditional Pomo dancer deeply versed in
  basket weaving, regalia making, materials gathering, singing, and Indigenous
  ecological knowledge, Tejeda frames fire as a living relative, a tool of renewal, and
  an integral part of cultural survival.

• Pá’čapa: A Mt. Rubidoux Story; October 23rd @ 5pm, INTS 1128
  Join us for a free screening of Pá’čapa: A Mt. Rubidoux Story, a short documentary
  crafted by Native American women directors Rosy Aranda, Blossom Maciel, Daisy
  Ocampo, and Lorene Sisquoc. The film centers Serrano, Cahuilla, and Tongva
  perspectives of Mt. Rubidoux, known to these communities as Pá’čapa, and offers a
  powerful counter-narrative to the mountain’s familiar settler-colonial imagery,
  highlighting its Indigenous spiritual significance and cultural history. The event will
  begin with refreshments at 5pm, the screening at 5:30pm, followed by a Q&A with
  the film makers.
• Native Jam Night; November 4, 2025, @ 6-9pm, The Barn
  Each year, NASP invites Native musicians to UCR to celebrate and enjoy Native
  music on campus. It is time to dance, enjoy food, music, and refreshments, and
  spend time in community. We hope to see you there!
• Book Talk with Sarah Whitt; December 8th, time and location to be announced
  Sarah Whitt discusses her new book, Bad Medicine: Settler Colonialism and the
  Institutionalization of American Indians that was released by Duke University Press
  in March 2025.
• CCNN & MCS Art Installation Unveiling; Date, time, and location to be announced
  Toward the end of the quarter, CCNN and MCS plan to host an opening event to
  unveil an art installation project that we’ve been collaborating on alongside
  Weshoyot Alvitre, CCNN’s Community Scholar in Residence. For the unveiling of this
  work-in-progress, we will gather artists, community members, and scholars to reflect
  on the mural and the intertwined legacies of resistance it brings into view.

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for upcoming community events!

Event Recap

SCC OAK PROJECT REVEALED ON SEPTEMBER 23RD 

CCNN had the honor of attending the meaningful event hosted by the Native American Student Program (NASP) center at the University of California, Riverside. We witnessed the unveiling of a powerful art installation, the culmination of over five years of dedication and hard work from students, staff, faculty, and community members. The project began in late 2019, in response to the university's decision to cut down the oak trees where the Student Success Center is located without notifying tribal communities. For California Natives, oak trees are more than just plants; they are our relatives that provide essential shade, acorns for food, nourishment, and regalia, and revered as wise beings that have endured centuries of history, including colonization and attempted genocide. UCR Native students quickly stood up demanding the university honor their significance as well as repurpose the wood in a respectful manner. Unbeknownst to the Native students, they started a movement where other students started going into the Native office offering support and asking how they could be an ally in the process. 

In the months that followed, Joaquin Tarango (Wilton Rancheria Miwok) led monthly meetings to create a game plan with alum Lina Tejeda (Pomo & Nayarit who now works at NASP). The Covid pandemic did not halt their progress, meetings continued over zoom to design a tribute worthy of the oaks’ legacy. The result unveiled a stunning and solemn installation. Mounted on a wall, the 20-foot wide display pieces together the wood into a beautiful homage. Decorative acorn artwork seen throughout the installation accompanied by a digital monitor sharing the project’s history, displaying the university’s formal apology for failing to include Native communities in the original decision process, and sharing information about upcoming NASP and CCNN events. Benches, crafted from the same wood, invites visitors to sit while they reflect and learn. You can visit the installation on UC Riverside campus at the Student Success Center (SSC) on the first floor.

RECORDING OF "REBIRTH THROUGH FIRE: LESSONS FROM THE EATON FIRE AND EMBRACING TEK, A NATIVE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY" IS LIVE ON OUR YOUTUBE PAGE

On July 24, 2025, CCNN collaborated with the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy (TTPC) on a webinar titled "Rebirth Through Fire: Lessons from the Eaton Fire and Embracing TEK, a Native American Philosophy." Webinar panelists included Wallace Cleaves (Tongva), Charles Sepulveda (Tongva, Acjachemen), Sean Woods, and Cristhian Mace. You can now watch the recording of the webinar on CCNN’s YouTube page.

LINKED HERE

Spotlight

MEET NASA'S NEW PRESIDENT: ALIKOI PARRA

by Art Valles 

At UCR, several Native American student-led organizations exist, including NASA (Native American Student Association), AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society), and NAHS ( Native American Honors Society). Each year, elections are held among the students. While many Native students participate in all three organizations, each has its own leadership structure dedicated to coordinating events for the Native student community. NASA serves as the primary organization for Native students, taking the lead in organizing and executing numerous events on campus that benefit the Native American community.

This year's president of NASA is Alikoi Parra, who is also one of the student assistants at the CCNN. As the former Co-chair of NASA, I observed Alikoi's dedication and enthusiasm for the Native community. I recognized her potential as a leader and noted her strong work ethic, prompting me, along with other officers, to nominate her for the presidency. Subsequently, her peers elected her to the position.

Alikoi is a member of the Kaswa’ Chumash tribe, originating from the ancestral lands near the village of Micqanaqa’n, meaning "Coyote's Jaw," located in Ventura, California. She has spent her formative years in this thriving community and is currently a fourth-year student at UCR, pursuing a degree in Business Management and Organizational Behavior. Her identity and experiences are deeply intertwined with her heritage, which significantly informs her aspirations and sense of purpose.

In the Chumash language, her name is pronounced Ah’ lok’ oi, which translates to “Dolphin.” This name, featuring a glottal stop often overlooked by others, holds cultural significance and symbolizes her connection to the ocean and her roots, serving as a reminder of the importance of honoring and preserving her heritage.

The experiences that have profoundly shaped her identity are closely linked to the history of her people. Due to colonization and the attempted genocide of California Indians, approximately 90% of her tribe faced decimation during the Mission period. These painful historical events have motivated her commitment to reclaiming what was lost and to fostering a sustainable cultural future for her community. Drawing from her personal experiences with cultural practices, such as tomol building, basket weaving, and traditional food classes, she understands the healing benefits these activities provide, particularly for youth, by fostering identity, pride, and resilience.

Throughout her journey, Alikoi has engaged in various projects within tribal and broader community contexts, primarily focusing on working directly with youth to implement cultural programs centered around language revitalization, traditional ecological knowledge, including cultural burning, and the arts. These initiatives are not merely aimed at preservation; rather, they are about active participation and creating environments in which cultural practices can flourish.

Although she entertained many childhood dreams of becoming a pop star, Alikoi's true aspiration has always been to serve, connect, and uplift others through community engagement.

From her perspective, a competent leader exemplifies adaptability, digital fluency, and emotional intelligence. A true leader is a builder—someone who cultivates diverse, inclusive, and high-performing teams by promoting clear communication and psychological safety. These attributes are essential in creating a supportive environment where all individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute their best efforts.

As the incoming president of NASA, Alikoi's foremost objective is to strengthen the Native student community by transforming NASA into a genuine home-away-from-home for all Native students on campus. She aims to foster a welcoming and supportive atmosphere, facilitating practical workshops on financial literacy, scholarship opportunities, and graduate school applications. Beyond these initiatives, she aims to utilize the organization's platform to celebrate the narratives of Native students, highlight the remarkable accomplishments of its members, and showcase the resilience and dedication inherent within the Native student population. Her vision is to establish a space where cultural pride takes precedence and where their stories continue to inspire generations to come.

Outside of her academic and professional responsibilities, she finds joy in activities that connect her to nature and herself. She often seeks tranquility on mountain trails, hiking to lofty heights or swimming freely in the ocean. Additionally, she prioritizes physical wellness through Pilates and Barre classes, frequently attending sessions with her favorite instructor, Jenna. Preparing meals for loved ones is another pursuit that brings her happiness, allowing her to nurture connections within her community.

Alikoi's journey is propelled by a profound commitment to her community and a fervent belief in the power of cultural revitalization, education, and collective advancement. She is dedicated to serving others, preserving her heritage, and cultivating a supportive environment where every individual can thrive and achieve success.

MEET WESHOYOT ALVITRE, CCNN'S COMMUNITY SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE

In Spring 2025, Weshoyot Alvitre became one of CCNN’s Community Artists in Residence, joining our community through the end of the Fall 2025 quarter. Weshoyot is a Tongva and Scottish comic book artist, writer, and illustrator, born in the Santa Monica Mountains. Drawing from an upbringing grounded in land-based and traditional knowledge, Weshoyot’s writing and artwork visualizes historical material through an Indigenous lens to provide fuller representation of Native histories and ongoing struggles.

As CCNN’s Community Artist in Residence, Weshoyot has been working on a project for the campus hallway that CCNN shares with the Media & Cultural Studies department in the INTS building. Our hope is to create a space that honors living genealogies of Southern California Indian resistance, while drawing parallels to Palestinian struggles against displacement and Israeli occupation. These legacies are bound by their resistance to settler colonial advancements that are predicated on displacement, relocation, land theft, and the erasure of native people and cultures. Through visual imagery like poppies and net patterns, and deconstruction of the slogan “from the Mountains to the Sea”, the goal of the art piece is to create something that will resonate with both of these fights for sovereignty, self-determination, and land reclamation. We hope to cultivate a space that makes solidarity visible, and acknowledges the legacies of resistance that are rooted in the land.

Weshoyot’s mural, which will focus on California Indian histories of resistance, will be one component of this larger project that she will create through a multi-stage process. Currently, she is immersing herself in deep research and archival visits that help her map out the different histories and visual elements that will make their way into her art. Later this fall, she will transition to sketching and art-making before the final installation. Toward the end of the quarter, CCNN and MCS plan to host an opening event to celebrate this work-in-progress, gathering artists, community members, and scholars to reflect on the mural and the intertwined legacies of resistance it brings into view.

Upcoming Community Events

• On Saturday, November 8th at 10am the second National Native American Heritage Month Parade will be hosted in Sacramento. A number of Native students from UCR will be going – we hope to see you there!
• The Chumash Intertribal Powwow will be held on October 4-5, 2025, in Santa Ynez, California, at the corner of Highway 246 and Meadowvale Road. This is the 60th anniversary of the event, which will feature over 300 Native American dancers and singers.

• Acjachemen Nation’s Powwow will be on October 18, 2025 at 10am!

   

Summer 2025

Announcements

WELCOME DR. KĒHAULANI VAUGHN

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Kēhaulani Vaughn has joined Dr. Mark Minch-de Leon as a co-director of the California Center for Native Nations! Though Kēhaulani has been deeply involved in the CCNN community since returning to UC Riverside last summer, she officially started as CCNN’s co-director on July 1st, 2025. Kēhaulani is a Kanaka ‘Ōiwi scholar whose research engages Pacific Islander and Indigenous feminist theorizations of land, environment, and regeneration. After receiving her Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from UCR in 2017, and completing a postdoc with the University of Minnesota in the department of American Indian Studies, she became an assistant professor in the department of Education, Culture & Society at the University of Utah where she established the Research Center for Pasifika and Indigenous Knowledges as co-principal investigator for grants awarded by the Mellon Foundation. We are so excited to see CCNN continue to bloom under Kēhaulani and Mark’s collective leadership!

CONGRATULATIONS LORI ON YOUR RECENT RETIREMENT!

CCNN celebrates Lorene Sisquoc's recent retirement from her position as curator of the Sherman Indian Museum. In 1985, Lorene began volunteer training under the guidance of co-founder and curator of the museum, Ramona K. Bradley. Lorene became the curator and manager in 1991. Over the decades, Lorene has taught basket-making, Native plant uses, and material culture to Sherman Indian High School students and throughout Southern California. She is a descendant of the Mountain Cahuilla and a member of the Fort Sill Apache tribe. Lorene also co-founded Mother Earth Clan Culture Programs and Nex'wetem, the Southern California Indian Basket Weavers Organization. In 1997, the city of Riverside honored Lorene with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Visionary Award for community cultural awareness. She also received the Dorothy Ramon Learning Center Heritage Keepers Award. In 2023, Lorene served as the first Community Scholar in Residence at UC Riverside, where she taught our campus community tribal traditional values and awareness of local tribal communities, guest lectured in classes, and led hands-on workshops on basketry. She has been serving as the Elder/Scholar in Residence at Cal Poly Pomona since 2015. We are excited for Lorene as she embarks on the next chapter of her illustrious career. Stay tuned for a more in depth highlight of Lorene’s work in our next issue. Read more about Lori’s work on Inside UCR’s blog. 

UPCOMING CLASSES IN NATIVE STUDIES

For a living list of classes offered in Native studies, check out this link! Have a class you’d like to be listed? Email CCNN@ucr.edu and cc Daireeann Mancinas (dmanc006@ucr.edu).

CCNN WEBSITE UPDATE

We have been hard at work updating our website to showcase our faculty fellows, our past and upcoming events, and the awesome people who work with CCNN. Check out the changes and stay tuned for more to come. 

CCNN Events

TTPC SERIES

CCNN is excited to announce that we are partnering with the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy (TTPC) on a series of webinars on issues such as Traditional Ecological Knowledge, land stewardship, and Indigenous kinship and relationality. The first in the series, Rebirth Through Fire: Lessons from the Eaton Fire and Embracing TEK, a Native American Philosophy, was held on July 24, 2025. The webinar was a conversation between Tongva leaders and Eaton Canyon representatives on traditional relations to fire, the colonial conditions for extreme fire events, and building anticolonial Indigenous kinship relationships. We look forward to future events with TTPC.

MORE COMING UP

On October 23, CCNN will be hosting a lunchtime talk by Lina Tejeda about her role co-curating the exhibit, Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology and Art. Please be on the lookout for more information along with the official announcement.

In September 2025, the Sundance Film Festival Indigenous Film Tour will be stopping at Riverside! The 2025 Sundance Institute Indigenous Film Tour is a 98-minute theatrical program featuring 7 short films from Indigenous filmmakers: six from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and one from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Learn more and get your tickets.

Art Valles with CCNN put together a document for getting the word out about local events in the community. You can see those events here. If you have events you’d like us to add to this document, send us an email at CCNN@ucr.edu. 

2024-2025 Event Recap

The California Center for Native Nations had an event-packed year, during which we organized and co-sponsored book talks, multi-day conferences, film screenings, hands-on workshops, roundtables, celebrations, and performances.

In the Fall quarter, CCNN kicked things off with a co-sponsored book talk by Bayley Marquez on her new book, Plantation Pedagogy: The Violence of Schooling Across Black and Indigenous Space. In the following months, we co-sponsored two multi-day events: Encuentro de  Músicas de Oaxaca: Raíces y Ramas (Roots and Branches), which brought together Indigenous Oaxacan musicians and scholars for a two-day event organized by CCNN member Xóchitl Chávez, and Al-Hadenah: Intellectual Sanctuary Collective Conference, a conference gathering Palestinian scholars, organized by Palestinian feminist scholar, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian and emeritus UCR Professor, David Lloyd. In November, CCNN member Freya Schiwy organized a film screening by Native filmmaker Loren Waters, and hosted a conversation between Waters and Laurel C. Smith.

In the Winter quarter, we kicked off a three-part series organized by newly elected CCNN co-director Kēhaulani Vaughn featuring Pacific Islander and Native American trans-Indigenous conversations. The inaugural event featured a conversation between Asena Filihia and Josh Little on trans-Indigenous education and Native American and oceanic epistemologies, followed by a conversation between Nanea Lum and Mercedes Dorame on trans-Indigenous and trans-Pacific aesthetics and art practice, moderated by UCR alum and assistant professor Nicole Furtado. In May, the series came to an end (for now!), with a conversation between Indigenous Race and Ethnic Studies scholar Dr. Lana Lopesi and multidisciplinary artist, writer, and educator Sarah Dilley. We look forward to resuming this series in the coming academic year.

The Spring quarter was the busiest of the year, featuring two book talks: one by Katie Keliaa on her recently published book, Refusing Settler Domesticity: Native Women's Labor and Resistance in the Bay Area Outing Program, and the other with Teresa Velásquez on her book Pachamama Politics: Campesino Water Defenders and the Anti-Mining Movement in Andean Ecuador, organized by Jennifer Najera in the Ethnic Studies department. In the spirit of collaborative art-making and aesthetic performance, CCNN co-sponsored three interactive workshops: dance making & kakyosin, a performance lecture & workshop by E. Macias; a series of workshops with Māori dance artist Tiaki Kerei; and a workshop on Kāpala (traditional Hawaiian printing) with Nanea Lum. With the department of Media & Cultural Studies, we hosted a screening, keynote, and roundtable discussion of Abby Martin & Mike Prysner’s film, Earth’s Greatest Enemy in May.

We closed out the school year with two back-to-back events, beginning with a graduate student-organized conversation on Native publishing with Erin Marie Lynch, Amanda Castro, and Mark Minch-de Leon and ending with a rain-soaked celebration honoring the one year anniversary of the opening of UCR’s Native American Garden!  

It was an honor to host so many brilliant artists, performers, activists, and scholars this year, and to collaborate with departments and research centers across UCR. Thank you to all community members who attended our events—it is your collective engagement and energy that makes these events generative and exciting. Follow us on Instagram and visit our website for more events to come in the Fall! 

2024-25 Faculty Fellows

CCNN was thrilled to host four faculty fellows during the 2024-2025 academic year: Timothy Petete,  Liz Przybylski, Michelle Raheja, and Kēhaulani Vaughn. To learn more about their exciting projects, head to our website.  

Spotlight

Advancing Native Health Research at UCR

We recently had the opportunity to interview Jordyn Ramirez, an upcoming fourth year Native undergraduate here at UC Riverside whose work bridges cultural advocacy and medical research.

Jordyn is currently conducting research with the School of Medicine, focusing on Native health- a field that hits home. Through her work, she hopes to contribute to culturally informed solutions which address longstanding inequities. Research isn’t just about academics to Jordyn, it’s personal. In this interview you will hear her emphasize the importance of community centered approaches and the need for greater Native representation in medical studies as Native health is more than data, it’s about our stories, people, and resilience. Jordyn’s research plays a vital role in ensuring our communities are acknowledged and heard.

As she prepares for her final year at UCR, Jordyn remains steadfast in uplifting Native perspectives in medicine, intertwining scientific rigor along with cultural stewardship. Here at CCNN we look forward to seeing Jordyn’s contributions unfold and the positive effects her research will create.

Watch the full interview on our Youtube channel! 

Digging In: Underground Scholars at UCR

by Art Valles 

Art Valles (Chihene Nde) graduated this past spring from UC Riverside with his BA in Ethnic Studies and a minor in Native American studies. He was recently accepted to complete a Master’s in Public Policy & Administration at the University of Redlands, and plans to start the program this fall. Art was President of both Underground Scholars and the Native American Student Association (NASA). Art was incarcerated, and has dedicated his education and organizing to improving the lives of other formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students and the Native American communities who have been so devastated by western carceral-colonial systems. This devastation has taken the form of Spanish missions, anti-Indian loitering laws, indentured servitude/slavery, removal, reservations and rancherias (initially managed by the US Department of War), borders, the criminalization of Native life through racialized laws and policing, and of course mass incarceration in public and private prisons. In this moment, when the carceral state is ramping up its violence, detentions, and exclusions in an explicitly white supremacist demographic project, and referencing quandaries about Native American US citizenship to justify its actions, it is important to listen to stories such as Art’s. We celebrate Art’s accomplishments and his ongoing work.

Art Valles (left) at Native Grad Dinner with Shannon Rivers in June 2025.

Growing up Native, prison was normalized. My grandparents came to the city to find a better life, to find work. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and at church as my mom tried her best to raise me as a single mom. Again and again, I was told I was a bad kid in school, a message that stuck with me. In reality, it was a learning disability that made school difficult for me. 

In the city many other things can pull us in. Many of my family members, faced with the pressure to assimilate to a local culture , ended up in the gangs in LA and took part in activities that landed them in prison. Even though I stayed away from the gangs I still found myself getting into trouble. I didn't fit in and felt different from everyone around me. Eventually, I made a mistake and found myself facing a life sentence. 

People do not realize how easy it is to make a small mistake; it only takes twenty seconds and you could spend a lifetime paying for it. It can happen to anyone. And while anyone can make a mistake that lands you in prison, some communities are often targeted more. I ended up going to prison for a little over eight years. I didn’t want to risk a life sentence, so I pleaded out and was sentenced to thirteen years. While I was in prison, I took as many classes as possible to get time off, which was one of my motivations. By the time I was released, I had four AA degrees: in anthropology, psychology, arts and humanities, and social behaviors. The college that I went to made sure that they set us up for success and that our classes would transfer when we got out of prison. The school also informed me about programs such as Underground Scholars that help formerly incarcerated people at universities.

Art and his mother while he was in prison. 

Returning home, I had all kinds of plans, but most didn't work out. I wanted to go to UCLA but ended up at Riverside. When I arrived, I reached out to the Underground Scholars campus office, an office that offers support for formerly incarcerated students in  higher-ed, and they helped me set up my housing on campus, enroll in classes, and gave me a scholarship. Soon after, I learned that Underground Scholars had two different components: the campus office and the entirely student-run student organization. I started attending the Underground Scholars student meetings after a student in one of my classes invited me, and while the campus office helped me access certain resources, the student org is where I found a community of other formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students. The community is larger than you might think. Maybe we don't talk about it or we don't think about it, but it still impacts people’s lives. 

The goal of the Underground Scholars student org is to help formerly incarcerated people succeed in higher ed, while, at the same time, working to tear down that school-to-prison pipeline. We want to lower recidivism rates through higher education, and build communities of support. Though I was on my road to success, I faced a lot of challenges after coming out of prison. I was working a full time job and attending school full time. I struggled with imposter syndrome. I was diagnosed with PTSD and depression. I was socially awkward. I was institutionalized. I didn't know how to talk to other people. I would shut down. The learning disability that got me called a “bad kid” when I was younger still affected me.

UCR Underground Scholars Francine Phillips (left) and Alikoi Parra table for the Undergrad Scholars student organization.

As a formerly incarcerated individual, I understand firsthand the challenges formerly incarcerated individuals face when returning home, no matter how hard we have worked to transform our lives. And I am not alone. Many formerly incarcerated people face discrimination and stigma in spaces of higher ed. Criminal records make it difficult to secure housing, find employment opportunities,and  some people, dependent on their crime, may find it difficult to secure financial aid or scholarships. Despite my credentials and readiness for employment, I encountered barriers such as company policies that claim to support second chances but, in practice, created those barriers that kept formerly incarcerated individuals like me out of the workforce.  Even though I took classes to get my Associate’s degree in prison, I hadn’t been around technology for a long time and I struggled to catch up once I was out. Formerly incarcerated people also often have to navigate parole and probation requirements that get in the way of class schedules.

I still have a hard time writing. I get bad writer's block. I don't know how to ask for help. But through programs like Underground Scholars, I was able to find the help and community that I needed. I was directed to go to the Student Disability Center where I was finally able to receive accommodations. I became President of the Underground Scholars student org for the 2024-2025 academic school year, I led the board, and held weekly Org meetings to check in with individuals who are incarcerated or impacted. I worked to recruit other students who have been incarcerated or impacted. I have tabled on campus and at events. I’ve lobbied legislators with local nonprofits to bring awareness and change public policy that can help incarcerated people. I organized  symposiums and spoke on panels on behalf of formerly incarcerated  students in higher education. I spoke on my own experiences to inform people that as a Native I can succeed after the mistakes I made in my life. Showing that my life has been improved through higher education, I hope to open a pathway for those who come after me that do not know that this program exists. 

Art (second from left) speaking on a panel at the Western History Association's annual conference. He was joined by  ....

Many Native Americans are incarcerated at a high rate. It is my belief that it may be due to generational trauma, often made worse by colonization. I have had the ability to bridge the gap between formerly incarcerated students, Native American people, and our communities. I believe that if other formerly incarcerated or impacted Natives were to know about the program they would take advantage of it and use it to change their lives. We can take what we learn and direct it in a way that benefits our tribal people. Although there are those of us that have self-doubt, who maybe believe that we are not good enough to succeed in society off the rez, who have felt we don’t fit in with schools because of a family history with boarding schools, it's never too late to get educated and do something grander for our communities.     

Art at UCR graduation in June 2025.

Now that he has graduated, Art plans to create a non profit organization that donates traditional medicines to incarcerated Native people and advocates for them to be able to pray in traditional ways. He wants to help provide reentry services and resources to formerly incarcerated Natives, and help communities recover from  intergenerational trauma, mental health challenges, and drug/alcohol addiction. If you are interested in donating or getting involved, please reach out to Art via email: wecomeinagoodway@gmail.com or instagram.

For anyone interested in finding out more about Underground Scholars, please follow these links:

• Underground Scholars Initiative (student org)
• Underground Scholars Campus Office