Culture-Bearer-Led Continuity

Organizes efforts to educate, preserve, protect, and promote global Indigenous cultures and their unique cultural offerings.

Provides cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness training to corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions nationwide, addressing stereotypes, misconceptions about Native peoples, the myth of the “American Indian,” and current events affecting Indigenous communities.

Creates and delivers educational programs for audiences from kindergarten through university levels, as well as for corporate and government employees, focusing on Native American history, diverse Indigenous cultures, social justice issues (including MMIW and media misrepresentation), climate change, water rights, and land preservation. Programs are offered in person in the tri-state area and virtually nationwide and globally via webinars, virtual classrooms, and traveling exhibits.

Produces four major Indigenous and Native American heritage celebrations annually in the Northeast, including large-scale festivals featuring over 1,000 Indigenous artists, performers, and educators. Organizes a free 3-day Indigenous Peoples Day event in New York City—first held in 2015—featuring cultural performances, art, and traditional practices to reframe Columbus Day and celebrate Indigenous history.

Provides annual scholarship funds to support higher education expenses for Native American students.

Contracts Indigenous artists to deliver educational programs, lectures, and festival performances for external organizations, promoting economic self-reliance within the First Nations artist community.

Offers online interactive classes and workshops in Pow Wow history and participation, traditional music (flute, drum, singing), Native arts (basket weaving, beading, finger weaving, jewelry making), and dancing (hoop, chicken, fancy dances) for youth and adults, with supply kits available. Also hosts virtual forums, panels, and symposiums featuring global Indigenous artists and educators.

Hosts a youth program for Urban Indigenous youth that includes cultural education, dance, music, instrument making, and regalia making, along with library and school-based family programs that use dance, music, and storytelling to teach about Indigenous cultures. Also leads the Corn Sister circle in Mashpee, MA, which teaches women about the Three Sisters Garden and shares ancestral knowledge and seeds.

Offers legal and fiduciary oversight, grant proposal development and reporting, board retreat facilitation, and organizational development mentorship to fiscally sponsored initiatives such as the Gayogohó:nǫˀ Learning Project and Open Doors English, enabling their operational capacity and long-term sustainability.

Organized the Cornell Kenyan Human Rights Initiative to advocate for the release of imprisoned political activist Koigi wa Wamwere, demonstrating a historical commitment to international human rights advocacy.

Secured funding to pilot an employer certification initiative that reduces hiring stigma for individuals with criminal records by promoting inclusive employment practices among local businesses.

Hosts storytelling events, documentary screenings, listening salons, book reads, and cultural performances to foster dialogue on racial trauma, generational healing, and social justice. Past events have featured artists such as Sweet Honey in the Rock and Bread and Puppet Theater.

Designs and implements community-based projects using innovative approaches to address social and environmental challenges, including food justice, language revitalization, and reentry support for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Teaches university-level courses in social entrepreneurship at Cornell University, including a credit-bearing practicum and course redesign initiatives focused on systemic change, antiracism, and innovative problem-solving. Also conducts workshops and trainings on anti-racist organizing, living wage advocacy, divestment, and ethical responses to nuclear threats.

Provides comprehensive fiscal sponsorship through two models: direct project sponsorship (Model A) with full administrative, legal, and fiduciary oversight, and pre-approved grant project sponsorship (Model C). Services include accounting, payroll, grants management, tax compliance, liability insurance, and mentorship to support organizational sustainability of nonprofit projects.

Offers language classes and cultural discussion groups to support the revitalization of the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language, fostering community engagement and cultural continuity among Indigenous communities.

Provides meals, transportation, counseling, and job training to support reintegration and well-being of formerly incarcerated individuals, reducing stigma and promoting healthful transitions back into the community.

Acts as a university-affiliated incubator for nonprofit social enterprises, providing institutional affiliation, mentorship, and organizational development support. Successfully enabled projects like the Youth Farm Project to transition to independent 501(c)(3) status.