LEANING INTO OUR COLLECTIVE POWER

We know that true justice cannot be achieved without achieving justice for all. In 2020, the critical conversations happening around institutionalized bias, race, and justice fueled many people and organizations to deepen our relational organizing and advocacy efforts.
As narrative disrupters, IllumiNative partnered with our Native and non-Native relatives to challenge dominant narratives to shift culture, policies, institutions, and power in meaningful ways. Together, we built a multiracial movement for justice and democracy by leaning into the shared struggles and stories of Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color and our collective power for transformational change, including the influence our votes and civic engagement can have on systems change.

Credit: Mer Young (Apache and Chichimeca) / Amplifier

”We need to ensure that there are opportunities and platforms to share these American stories of Native, Black, and Brown communities that are reflective of our humanity, diversity, commonalities, beauty, challenges, and contributions we all make to this country.

Crystal Echo Hawkin the Stanford Social Innovation Review

TOGETHER WITH ARTISTS AND CREATIVES, WE:

  • Commissioned a short film, Together We Are Stronger, with acclaimed Native filmmakers Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee) and Kyle Bell (Thlopthlocco Tribal Town/Creek) and multidisciplinary Black artist Kalup Linzy.
  • Commissioned four works by Mer Young (Apache and Chichimeca) to illustrate how standing together builds collective power in the fight for racial justice
  • Supported the work of Indigenous filmmaker Josué Rivas (Mexica/Otomi), Coyotlalli Techpanoltih (The Border Crossed Us), to connect the movement for undocumented immigrants and Indigenous solidarity.