What does Afro-Indigenous mean? Letās get Smarter in Seconds with @healinghokte , @sutton.king , @keyraarroyo , @netooeusqua !
Make sure to follow @indigenousintentions for more knowledge about Indigenous identity.
Thereās no single definition for Afro-Indigenous identity but it essentially encompasses African heritage and Indigenous ancestry.
Chenae Bullock, LPIM (@netooeusqua ) is an enrolled Shinnecock Tribal citizen and proud descendant of the Montaukett people of the east end ofĀ Long Island. She is also African American.
Dr. Tomasina Chupco (@healinghokte ) is an enrolled member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and is also African American. She is the creator of @indigenousintentions .
Keyra Arroyo (@keyraarroyo ) is Afro-Ecuadorian from ConcepciĆ³n, Esmeraldas of the North Pacific coast of Ecuador and also KaƱari from Cojitambo and Chuquipata, CaƱar of the South Andes of Ecuador.Ā
Sutton King, MPH (@sutton.king ) is descendant of the Menominee and Oneida Nations of Wisconsin and is also African American. She is the co-founder of @urbanindigenouscollective .
EXTRA CREDIT š Did you learn anything new? Have you heard the term āAfro-Indigenousā before? Make sure to follow these incredible featured educators.
yaw^ko/maec waewaenen (thank you) @justsheavassar@menshealthmag such a beautifully written piece! Thank you for not only highlighting my voice and the work that we do in support of our communities through @urbanindigenouscollective & @shock.talk but so many other powerful Indigenous leaders doing incredible things for NDN country. Thank you to my partners and team who make all of this work possible, without yaāll we wouldnāt be able to show up in the way that we do.
This pandemic took so many people from me. Some Iāve lost to the spirit world physically and some Iāve lost to the system mentally. If you know my story, this oneās for my baby brother, Sedric. I do this work from a real place of pain, pain Iāve learned to turn into a testimony. Pain, Iāve channeled into resilience, not just for myself, but for my family, for my community. Iāve been clear on my purpose since the second grade, and Iām just humbled that creator has allowed me to carry out that vision.
Wow, 10 years ago I moved to NYC with a dream. 10 years later, that dream is my reality as Co-Founder & President of the @urbanindigenouscollective . Spring 2022 we are thankful to be opening our first community center, in lenapehoking (Manhattan). Thank you to @abc7ny for highlighting my voice, my story and most importantly our organization. If that little girl in the jingle dress could see me nowā¦.Or maybe, that little girl saw the woman I am today, and thatās why she never gave up.
#nyc #documentary #indigenous #nativeamerican
Today we had the honor of attending the annual Celebrating Women Breakfast hosted by The New York Womenās Foundation as proud grantee partners.
āThe Celebrating Women Breakfast embodies the spirit, strength, and resilience of The New York Womenās Foundation community. It is an inclusive event, bringing together thousands of guests from all walks of life to celebrate and uplift our shared achievements as we create a better future for all women, girls, and gender-expansive people.ā
We are deeply grateful for the continued support The Foundation has provided over the years to strengthen community-led, culturally rooted work across Lenapehoking. Through this support, Urban Indigenous Collective has been able to continue advancing our MMIWGT2S NYC+ initiatives, Indigenous survivor support programming, advocacy efforts, and healing spaces for Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive relatives.
In a time where Indigenous communities continue to navigate violence, displacement, and systemic invisibility, it means so much to be in relationship with a partner like @nywomensfdn that invest in grassroots leadership, healing, and collective liberation.
In community today:
Sutton King, MPH ā Co-Founder & Executive Director
Delilah Ramos ā Director of Programs
For years, we have worked to build an East Coast response to the MMIWGT2S crisis where none existed.
When Urban Indigenous Collective began this work, there were no MMIWGT2S-specific policies on the East Coast. We started by documenting what systems failed to see ā conducting research, filing FOIA/FOIL requests, supporting families and survivors, and pushing policymakers to recognize a crisis our communities have always known existed.
In 2021, we reached out to more than 60 New York State representatives to raise awareness about the absence of infrastructure addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit relatives. In 2022, we worked directly with Senator Alessandra Biaggiās office on early legislation, advocating for Indigenous and survivor representation, stronger prevention strategies, urgency in response timelines, and language inclusive of Trans and Two-Spirit relatives.
While many of our recommendations were not fully incorporated into the final legislation, this work contributed to the eventual passage of New York Stateās Missing and Murdered BIPOC Women and Girls Task Force legislation in 2023.
At the same time, our work has never stopped at policy alone.
We have spent years building community-based responses through our MMIWGT2S NYC+ Program ā convening East Coast Summits, creating spaces for truth-telling and healing, supporting advocacy efforts, and building pathways toward culturally grounded, survivor-centered care, including free therapy for impacted community members.
Today, I have the honor of serving on the New York State Governorās Missing and Murdered BIPOC Task Force Advisory Council as a survivor myself. I carry this responsibility with deep accountability to our relatives, our families, and the movement our communities have built together.
And this is why our work does not stop at policy.
Because our people deserve more than acknowledgment.
We deserve protection, care, accountability, healing, and systems that recognize our humanity while we continue building the ones that already do.
#MMIW #MMIWG2S #MMIP
A little appreciation post for my mama @marnijo2019 ššš
Proud to be my motherās first-born daughter, born to a first-born daughter. That lineage, fight and way of moving and showing up in the world lives in me. We started in those apartmentsā¦ and now you have a beautiful home to call your own. I saw the sacrifices. The late nights. The ways you carried so much so I could have more. Thank you for taking care of me, fighting for me and putting me through college so I could follow my dreams you and grandma made that possible.
There were times Creator tried to call you homeā¦ and every single time, you fought to stay here with your children. That love and strength it lives in me because of you. Since Grandma became an ancestor, itās been heavy on our hearts. But even in that grief, weāve grown closer. We continue to fight for healing for my baby brother. We continue to heal ourselves. We continue to lead with love just like you taught me. Everything I do is to make you proud. Iām so glad I picked you in this lifetime.
You are an incredible role model and mother. Iām so proud of you. I love you, kiskanawatok (Low Cloud Woman).
2026 MMIWGT2S NYC+ Summit Panel Spotlightāš½
āWhen Women Govern, We Protect: Indigenous Leadership in the MMIW Responseā
Brings together Indigenous women leaders across tribal governance, public policy, and community-based leadership to explore how Indigenous-led approaches are shaping responses to the MMIWGT2S crisis. Panelists will share how leadership grounded in kinship, accountability, and sovereignty informs strategies for prevention, protection, and justice. The conversation will highlight the critical role of Indigenous women in advancing policy change, strengthening community response systems, and protecting our relatives.
This panel deepens our commitment to truth, accountability, and action.
š RSVP at the link in bio
#MMIWG2S #IndigenousJustice #WomenLed #Matriarchs #IndigenousWomen
The Fourth Annual MMIWGT2S NYC+ East Coast Summit is here!
Join us May 9th for an Indigenous-led summit gathering of panels, workshops, and wellness offerings, centering the lives, stories, and advocacy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit relatives.
Rooted in remembrance, accountability, and healing, we gather to honor our relatives and build pathways toward justice.
š RSVP at the link in bio now
#MMIWG2S #MMIP #IndigenousJustice #UrbanIndigenousCollective
As the snow softens and the earth begins to breathe again, Iām reflecting on what this winter asked of me. It wasnāt a season of doing, it was a season of tending. Tending my inner fire. Nurturing my body through rest, stillness, and listening.
In that quiet, I kept asking:
What seeds am I ready to plant when the snow melts?
Now, as the light returns, Iām stepping into spring with intention trusting that what was tended in the dark is ready to grow. This next season is going to be life changing and Iām thankful to know exactly what Iām planting and who Iām planting it with.
Happy Spring Equinox š±
