COP26 Panel L -R: Kailea Frederick, NDN Collective Climate Justice Organizer; Eriel Deranger, Director of  Indigenous Climate Action, Lycia Maddocks, NDN Collective Policy Director; Colette Pichon Battle, Executive Director of the Gulf South Center for Law + Policy.

Welcome to February, Relatives. A month dedicated to Black history and Black brilliance. This month and beyond we celebrate and center our Black, Black Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous Relatives on Turtle Island and across the globe, and recognize that solidarity with our Black Relatives and their movements move us all toward collective liberation. 

NDN Collective remains dedicated to deeply listening and actively seeking out ways to be better allies in this collective journey. As we do this, we also invite our non-Black Relatives to dedicate time and effort to inspecting and dismantling anti-Blackness in their own communities and to consciously pursue education around the history and present day efforts of our Black Relatives.

In this month’s newsletter, we are bringing back some powerful, evergreen NDN Collective content on Black and Indigenous solidarity and collective liberation– conversations between relatives in the trenches of this critical work. We also share updates from the NDN Collective ecosystem, ways to take action, and a number of job postings.

Black History Month is a time to honor, celebrate, listen, and center the contributions that our Black relatives have made throughout time in our history. Image Powered by NDN Collective.

NDN Collective is committed to Black and Indigenous solidarity. In observance of Black History Month, we welcome you all to engage with the ongoing conversations, media, and storytelling work that NDN Collective has participated in and powered in the spirit of Black and Indigenous solidarity. Please take a moment to review some of that curated media below, and be sure to check out a more extensive collection of NDN Collective’s Black and Indigenous Solidarity media HERE.

On December 21, 2021, the latest LANDBACK U module featured Afro-Indigenous thought-leader Amber Starks (Mvskoke) and Afro-Indigenous scholar Dr. Kyle Mays (Saginaw Chippewa). In this discussion, Amber and Kyle dig deep into the topic of Black Indigneity, giving rich historical and contemporary analysis, while also speaking to our collective responsibility to truly achieve liberation.

July 14, 2021 — Kailea Frederick, NDN Climate Justice Organizer and Valencia Gunder, National Organizing Lead for Movement for Black Lives’ climate platform, Red Black and Green New Deal engaged in a discussion around the main facets of the Red Black and Green New deal and possibilities that exist when Black and Indigenous liberatory efforts come together.

August 15, 2020 — In a one-on-one keynote conversation, NDN Collective President and CEO Nick Tilsen sat down with Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza at the Netroots Nation At Home Virtual Conference. Nick and Alicia discussed what it takes to break longstanding systems of white supremacy, oppression and the roles each of us plays to support the work of those on the frontlines of injustice.

Teresa Peterson, NDN Collective Foundation Program Manager. Image Powered By NDN Collective

Teresa (Terri) Peterson is Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and a member of the Upper Sioux Community. She has worked with Native communities and organizations, as well as with educational and philanthropic allies focused on Indigenous education and community-based planning. 

“We are absolutely thrilled and honored to have Terri join our team and to lead this transformational effort toward redefining wealth and collective abundance,” said Gaby Strong, NDN Foundation Managing Director. “She will bring her full heart and brilliance forward as part of this historic moment where we are advancing notions of abundance that are truly aligned with Indigenous identity.”

On Feb. 25th 2022 the MIT’s Sloan School of Management will be hosting the MIT Sustainability Summit.  The NDN Collective Climate Justice team has been working in collaboration with students on this year’s agenda which will center the topic, environmental justice for Indigenous and marginalized communities. Join us on February 25th to hear from Black and Indigenous voices who are leading and evolving environmental justice.

President and CEO, Nick Tilsen appeared on a panel hosted by Progressive Caucus Action Fund as part of their 2022 Progressive Strategy Summit: Winning Change That’s Built To Last. 

In Panel 3 Nick appears with members of Congress and movement leaders across Turtle Island in discussing ‘The Road Ahead’ for Social Justice issues, the Climate Crisis, and people led Movements.

Gaby Strong, NDN Foundation Managing Director, as well as Terri Peterson, Program Manager leading the Community Trust Grant Initiative were both recently featured on Wisdom Continuum, a podcast celebrating Native knowledge for a thoughtful, healthier, more just future.  

Gaby was featured in the episode titled Generosity and Liberating Wealth, where she expands on operating from abundance and defining wealth as Indigenous people. Terri was featured in a separate episode titled On Belonging and Storytelling, where she invites us to explore how storytelling weaves into our own understanding, wisdom and belonging.

Terri Peterson, NDN Collective’s new Program Manager leading the Community Trust Grant Initiative was featured on KOTA radio on January 26th, discussing the $50 million Bush Grant opportunity, emphasizing community first and transparency in the distribution process.

Image Courtesy of arindambanerjee.

Join Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) in calling on Congressional leadership to prioritize communities over corporation and push back against the use of militarization in our communities as a response to crisis.

Join M4BL in taking action against the ongoing persecution of Black movement by the U.S. Government

The Information Technology (IT) Director will oversee NDN Collective’s IT function and the implementation of new IT systems and policies.

The Advancement Coordinator will be part of a team of NDN staff and consultants to ensure we reach our fundraising goals each year, ensuring the organization is financially resourced to carry out our mission and goals.

The Program Officer will support the NDN Foundation Grants Programs which includes several specific funding streams.

The Program Associate provides administrative and programmatic support to the NDN Foundation and assists the Managing Director in planning, organizing and implementing Foundation operations as part of the NDN Eco-system, internally and externally.

The Warehouse Manager will oversee NDN Collective’s Warehouse systems and policies. The goal is to ensure Warehouse systems are effective and functioning within the limits of budget, time and specifications of the organization.

The Finance Technician performs a variety of technical, and administrative financial support duties in the financial activities of the organization.

The Vice President provides leadership and oversight for Operations, Advancement, Finance, Human Resources, Legal and Compliance, Communications, Fiscal Sponsorship and Research and Evaluation functions at NDN Collective.

The Media & Public Relations Officer acts as the primacy media contact for the NDN Collective ecosystem and the President & CEO, creating and managing communications and messaging that shape public opinion and increase awareness of the NDN brand.

The Graphic Designer creates digital and print materials for the NDN Collective ecosystem following NDN Collective brand guidelines.

The Research and Evaluation Manager will contribute to NDN Collective’s overall success by supporting research and evaluation efforts to understand and continuously evolve how the NDN Collective ecosystem of organizations drives social change.

The Chief Financial Officer contributes to NDN Collective’s overall success of the organization by effectively managing all financial activities for the organization and as a member of the Leadership Team.

The Program Associate provides administrative and programmatic support to the NDN Partners Managing Director in planning, developing business strategies, building client relationships and identifying new business opportunities as part of the NDN Eco-system, internally and externally.

The Website Content Manager leads the content coordination, development, and maintenance of the NDN Collective website and related websites.

Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Controller contributes to NDN Collective’s overall success by effectively overseeing the day-to-day financial activities for the NDN Ecosystem including accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll.

The Director of Policy and Advocacy will provide leadership for our public policy and advocacy work, working collaboratively with our Political Director, NDN Collective ecosystem of organizations, board of directors, and contract lobbyists.