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WE RISE & WIN TOGETHER

Celebrating Indigeneity

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”



~Ngozi Adichie

In “The Danger of a Single Story”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi powerfully explores how stories shape our perceptions of the world and reveals the profound impact of limited, one-sided narratives.  This issue of the WE RISE and WIN Together Digest lifts up the often untold–or unheard–stories and contributions of indigenous communities to building a just and abundant world.  


Read the story and recent report of the role of an U.S. policy of removal of indigenous children into church-run residential boarding schools as part of a strategic tactic to force cultural assimilation of indigenous people–acknowledged officially for the first time in a recent report by the Department of Interior.  Listen to how this kind of policy showed up in the life of a person and community as told by Dr. Ruby Gibson, and the ways in which these policies have impacted future generations.  Explore tools from the practice of Somatic Archaeology© to heal from historic and generational trauma. https://somaticarchaeology.com/


Discover how indigenous worldviews and knowledge systems–ways of knowing and being–have made profound contributions in science, health, environment, community stewardship, literature, and faith.  Then join us for a Better Ancestor circle


As we walk along this journey to be better ancestors to reclaim the stories and solutions of communities that have been marginalized as part of our journey to create a future built on all our stories, gifts and solutions.

Reclaiming The Past


Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report


Between 1819 and 1969, the U.S. federal government operated over 400 Indian boarding schools to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-American culture. These schools removed children from their homes, banned Indigenous languages, and imposed Western norms and religion. 


Read the Investigative report to the Secretary of the Interior Hon. Deb Haaland about what had happened during the Boarding school movement.

Honoring the Past to Chart a Path to the Future

In a symposium about moral courage and civic muscle on September 29-30th, 2024, hosted by the Leading Causes of Life, WE in the World, and Hold Health (formerly Stakeholder Health), authors of the newly released Handbook on Religion and Health: Pathways for a Turbulent Future owned the role of faith in colonization and the historic trauma that ensued. Click here to grab your copy.


“Looking at humanity as a living system invites us toward an integrative generative practice that does not collapse into the simplicities of upstream-downstream instrumental intervention. This posture of always being both recipients of blessings we did not create and stewards of the blessings that will flow through us is what the Leading Causes of Life call inter-generativity, or simply blessing”


-Stakeholder Health

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Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Federal Decision-Making


On December 2, 2022, the White House released groundbreaking guidance on the integration of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) into federal research, policy, and decision-making. This marks a significant step in recognizing the value of ancestral wisdom and Indigenous approaches, particularly in areas such as environmental stewardship, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation. Indigenous Knowledge encompasses a broad spectrum of observations, practices, innovations, and beliefs developed over centuries through the close relationship between Indigenous peoples and their environment. Read the detailed guidance here.

The First Peace: A Story of the Boarding School Movement

By Dr. Ruby Gibson, Freedom Lodge

In this heartfelt video, Dr. Gibson shares the harrowing story of her friend who endured unimaginable suffering in an Indian residential school in 1962. From physical and mental abuse to cultural genocide, this powerful account highlights the devastating role religion, and the government played in colonizing Indigenous people.


Join us as we explore the resilience of those who survived and the ongoing fight for justice and healing


Join The Conversation

As WE RISE together to WIN, we tap into the power of storytelling to inspire change through trauma healing. We invite you to be a part of this conversation by contributing your thoughts, ideas, and insights. Pick from the fun questions below


Record a video (most preferred) or write your responses.

Share Your Voice with Changemakers!


Submit written responses, a picture of you and your social media handles to marion.olang@weintheworld.org.


For recorded videos, upload the responses here. We will need your picture to accompany the text.

We’ll share your contributions on our LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook pages, tagging you in the post to keep the conversation alive!

More questions will be posted and shared on our LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages. Follow and share.

Let’s work together to advance the Better Ancestor vision —one story at a time.

Your Read

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Why connecting to tribal culture matters for retention of indigenous students in colleges and universities


Marquez, who plans to study nursing, said she applied to a handful of colleges both in- and out-of-state before deciding to attend the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.


“I knew when I wanted to go to college that I wanted to be somewhere that had resources for Native students,” she said. “I will be in Albuquerque, so I can still be able to go out to places like Laguna.”

Read More

Telling a New Story: How Indigenous Communities are Charting a Path Forward for a Turbulent World for All of Us


How might historic trauma be healed? 


Explore Dr. Gibson’s work at https://freedomlodge.org/ and find tools to use in your own and your community’s journey of healing.


NDN Collective Funding


NDN Collective is building indigenous power and investing in indigenous artists who are working closely with their communities to bring radical imagination to support indigenous health and well-being. 


Learn more here and apply today! https://ndncollective.org/meet-the-artists-attending-the-radical-imagination-heartbeat-of-turtle-island/

#ChangemakerSpotlight #WE4Equity #WEWINTogether #Equity #Change #realchange #betterancestor #ARISE

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED


The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, may be an older talk but it’s timeless gold.

In it, Chimamanda powerfully explores how stories shape our perceptions of the world, drawing from her own lived experiences to reveal the profound impact of limited, one-sided narratives.

Podcast picks for you!

The toasted sister Podcast:


Sherry Pocknett – “Not Your Average” James Beard Award winner Podcast


  • Featuring 2023 James Beard Award Best Chef of the Northeast, Sherry Pocknett (Wampanoag). We talk about her win, her battle with cancer and how her past shaped the chef she is today.



Native America calling podcast:


Making space for Native small business

Thursday, October 3, 2024

The annual 2024 Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In is here. Register now to reserve your spot!

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Equity Resources


Indigenous Knowledge library



Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Human Rights System

Browse More Resources

Upcoming Events


19 Oct - NY | Pacific Island Film Festival

Oct 19, 2024, 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM EDT


23 Oct - Free Art Workshop: Abstract Collages

Oct 23, 2024, 2:00 PM - 04:00 PM EDT


25 Oct - Maternal and Child Health Policy Workshop

Oct 25, 2024, 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM EDT


30 Oct - Free Art Workshops: Watercolor Landscape Paintings

Oct 30, 2024, 12:00 PM - 05:00 PM EDT

View & Submit More Upcoming Events

Leonard-Litz LGBTQ Foundation: LGBTQ+ Community Grants (New Hampshire)

Type: Foundation

Due Date: Rolling

Match Required: No Cost Share

Overview: The purpose of this program is to help LGBTQ+ people fulfill their potential by funding nonprofit organizations that advance the interests and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community through advocacy and with programs and services that meet the needs of LGBTQ+ people. Funding will be provided for life-affirming services that address one or more of the following focus areas:


  • Health and wellness
  • Crisis intervention
  • Racial justice
  • Advocacy and community engagement
  • Social assistance and programming


Huntington National Bank: Charitable Grant Program (Wisconsin)

Type: Foundation

Due Date: Rolling

Match Required: No Cost Share

Overview: The purpose of this program is to contribute to the development of healthy, vibrant communities. Funding will support projects that improve self-sufficiency and quality of life, as well as advance social and economic equality, in communities served by the funding agency.


Support will be provided for projects in the following focus areas:


  • Community revitalization and stabilization 
  • Community services 
  • Affordable housing 
  • Economic and community development 
  • Racial/social equity
More Funding Opportunities

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