Author: Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity

Friday, November 20, 2020

This month, join us along with the indigenous community to reflect how we can live with integrity as migrants, settlers, and non-indigenous people on the sacred lands we live on. We invite the interfaith community to learn more about being in right relationship with the people and their ancestry that originally inhabited California. How can congregations lead an example of reparations to the indigenous community look like in the state of California?

This vigil is being co-lead by:

Corrina Gould – a Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone woman, born and raised in Oakland, CA- or the ancient village of Huichin. She is a spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone. She is a spiritual leader and has been a key leader in raising awareness of the 40 sacred Shellmounds around the Bay Area and efforts to protect the Berkeley Shellmound. Corrina is co-founder of Sogorea Te Land Trust, an urban Indigenous women-led land trust based in the San Francisco Bay Area that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people.

Ariel Luckey – a poet, performer, educator and organizer who works for healing, reparations and collective liberation. He is the creator of annual arts event Thanks Taken: rethinking thanksgiving. Ariel is co-founder of Jews on Ohlone Land, educating and organizing the local community to contribute to the Shuumi Land Tax, that is for the rematriation of Oholone Land– to restore a people to their rightful place in sacred relationship with their ancestral land.

Kathryn Gilje & Dr. Sharon Fennema
Kathryn and Dr. Sharon are United Church of Christ leaders in the Northern California Nevada Conference. They will share about the recent efforts to their denomination has made to make amends for the colonizing history through repair and a redemptive land tithe. Read more: UCC Resolution for Making Amends for a Colonizing Past