Open Letter to our Supporters

Get in this work with us! If you want to help, then help us tear down the prevalent culture of white-supremacy and colonialism. Black, brown, Indigenous, and queer communities need accomplices in the movement toward collective liberation. Your solidarity has been stated, now get in the trenches with us.

“This country was built on stolen lands, on the backs of stolen people, and deeply entrenched racism has wrought devastation in our Black and Indigenous communities throughout the generations all the way up until today. Racism, in all insidious forms, pervades our systems and society - and it quite literally kills us. Black and Indigenous men, in particular, are disproportionately targeted and harmed by law enforcement. The harm and loss of our precious, beautiful, deeply valuable men - our fathers, uncles, brothers - is and has been in a state of emergency for far too long.” - Joint statement from Native Peoples Action, First Alaskans Institute, and Native Movement, read the full statement HERE.

It should go without saying, but we're gonna say it again: We must ALL work to counter anti-Black actions and sentiments within all communities. We are stronger together. We are in this together. Our Indigenous liberation is tied to Black liberation; it is tied to the liberation of people of color, and the liberation of our two-spirit and queer relatives. 

To our allies: LISTEN. Listen to Black leadership, listen to Indigenous and people of color community leaders, listen to *BIPOC LGBTQ2+ leaders. Seriously. Listen to those who have been voicing the direction and the solutions since the first injustices of colonialism. EDUCATE YOURSELVES. Don’t expect others to educate you. Check out the Jemez Principles, the Defend the Sacred AK principles, our Untangling Colonialism resources, and Remembering Forward -- AK Just Transition, to show up in a good way. Know that you are gonna mess up, be open to learning, be open to getting feedback, be open to deep growth, and keep going. 

Now is the time to ORGANIZE! Build People Power by organizing your neighborhood, your work colleagues, your school. Organize toward lasting systemic change based on what BIPOC community leaders have articulated. Call your elected leadership to implement mandatory Anti-Racism and Decolonization Training sessions. Get on the school board, run for city council, help us implement a post-oil economy and protect our water, air, and lives. There are so many ways you can get involved; check out this newsletter and those to follow for more ways to show up, support, and educate yourself. We feel the momentum of these days & the urgency of our steps toward collective liberation. Please don’t stop, ACT UP.

And as we surge forward let us also take a moment to recognize the elders who have broken trail for us all. We want to honor two Alaska Native elders who recently passed -- MaryAnn Warden and Carlos Frank. We would not be where we are today without their leadership. 

From Native Movement leadership team,

Enei Begaye (Executive Director), Shawna Larson (Deputy Director),
Aqpik Apok (Gender Justice Director), and Jody Potts (Regional Director)

*BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, People of Color
*LGBTQ2+: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Two-Spirit, plus