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Indigenous Land Acknowledgements

“I f you don’t know the Native history of where you are located, think about why that is. Native history is U.S. history. It’s the story of us. It is our collective story.” ~ Carly Bad Heart Bull

Carly Bad Heart Bull, a WKKF Community Leadership Network fellow and executive director of Native Ways Federation, shared reflections and practices for Indigenous land acknowledgements at the November virtual gathering of fellows. Carly is Bdewakantunwan Dakota and Muskogee Creek, and a proud citizen of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

What are Indigenous land acknowledgements?

First and foremost, it is not just the responsibility of Native people to give land acknowledgments. The non-Native inhabitants of this land should recognize and honor the Indigenous peoples and stories of this place we collectively call home. Indigenous land acknowledgements honor the land we are on, and show respect for the Native people

New Mexico Fellows Build Cross-Cultural Movement

“The huge opportunity that we have in front of us is to truly ignite and sustain cross-cultural movements.”
—Anpao Duta Flying Earth

New Mexico fellows are connecting across cultures to lead transformational change for children, families

Leading with Racial Equity

“I really can’t imagine a time when leadership would be more critical, in particular leadership with a racial equity lens.”
—La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Watch WKKF President and

Ready For This Moment

“In this moment in time, these ‘life quakes’ have affected the entire world. We can’t go back to ‘normal.’ We have to create different conditions for children to thrive, for families to work and for there to be equitable communities … What I’ve learned is that we have to lead with the lens of racial equity.”
—Paul Martinez, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Mississippi Fellows Advance Racial Justice

“Whether we realize it or not, we’re actually experiencing racial solidarity through this fellowship.” ~ Fellow Zakiya Summers

Mississippi fellows Zakiya Summers, D’Andra Orey, Sunny Baker and Albert Sykes share how they are leading transformational change

Juneteenth: Poetry by Fellow Jasmin Barnett

Juneteenth

“It starts with knowing your history, knowing exactly what was stolen from you ”

Untitled For Now
By Jasmin Barnett

It starts with you knowing your history, knowing exactly what was stolen from you
A chance to reconnect with the truth
Go deep and get in the roots
Juneteenth honors the memory of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers

Coming Home to Self and Each Other

“Caring for ourselves starts with introspection and understanding the relationship between our feelings, thoughts and actions.”

Dr. Denese Shervington, clinical professor of psychiatry and author of “Healing is the Revolution,” brings a

Hurricane Katrina Lessons for COVID-19

All of us, in one way or another, have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis — whether it’s shifting the way we work, changing the services we provide communities, adapting how we connect with friends and family, or experiencing the loss of loved ones. It hasn’t been easy.

As part of a WKKF Community Leadership Network virtual gathering (that was originally planned as an in-person gathering in New Orleans), fellows with the New Orleans cohort talked about how they’re tackling this

Avery's Fellowship Journey

Avery’s fellowship journey

“The fellowship has changed the way I think about the needs of my community because it has widened my view on the world. As a true leader you are not ahead of the pack, you are a part of the group.”

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New Mexico Youth Speak Out

Youth Speak out

At the WKKF Community Leadership Network all-class gathering in New Mexico, a diverse panel of young people inspired us all with their powerful stories of self-determination and advocacy for their communities.

WKKF Community Leadership Network Fellows Ebony Isis Booth (pictured left), an artist and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at an independent school, and Eli Cuna, a community organizer with United We Dream, organized the youth panel to share New Mexico’s multi-culturalism and cross-movement building. Youth were invited to tell stories about their identity and belonging, their connection to culture and place, and their activism. While they each come from different