When we talk about change and impact in our work, we’re talking about stuff that will last for generations. Not quick fixes, checking off tasks, or making changes out of obligation when it comes to Tribal relations. We’re working more along the lines of deep change within people and organizations, transformative relationships that lead with humility and learning, and collaborative possibilities abounding. 

Last week, in partnership with Redbud Resource Group, we kicked off the next cohort of learners and community members in the Right Relations program. Together in person, this group of humans learned how to weave baskets with Rose Hammock (Pomo, Wailacki and Maidu), learned and unlearned “Native 101” history of California, colonialism, and the Native peoples of this land, and built relationships to carry this work forward together for years to come. We watched Governor Newsom’s formal apology to California Native Americans from 2019, a pivotal moment in our state and the broader movement of acknowledgement of harms done to California Native people and steps toward repair. 

31 organizations have participated in the Right Relations program to date, with 18 present in this Phase One cohort. Each organization made a written commitment to taking action based on what they learn in the program over the next ten months, and they will develop an action plan which they’ll share at the program’s closing session. We’re excited to dive deep with our colleagues in this program from: