Sobre
The Urban Indigenous Collective (UIC), established in 2019, is a grassroots and Indigenous led organization. It was founded by Indigenous graduate students and Indigenous rights activists residing in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn who recognized the gap in accessible culturally appropriate healthcare services, community based participatory research (CBPR) and advocacy for Indigenous peoples living in Lenapehoking, so called New York City (NYC). UIC’s purpose is driving the inclusion of Urban Natives by indigenizing existing infrastructures and ensuring cultural humility in health and wellness services to build more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous communities. By prioritizing unity, we have rejected the federal definition of an "urban Indian," confronting colonial policies like blood quantum and arbitrary borders used as a tool of division. Together we work to support the prophecy of the condor and the eagle. The eagle of the North, representing the Indigenous peoples of North America and the condor of the South representing the Indigenous peoples of South America will have the potential to come together in harmony and unity. When the condor and the eagle fly together, it unlocks the four directions, signaling an era of peace, balance, and spiritual renewal and unity for all humanity. UIC has decolonized their definition of Urban Native and provides support to Indigenous individuals from North, Central, and South Americas, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands, residing in an urban environment, supporting the call for Indigenous peoples to unite across geographical and cultural boundaries, reclaim their heritage, and work together for the well-being of the Earth and all its inhabitants.
Our mission is to support access to culturally-tailored health and wellness services for self-identified Indigenous peoples in Lenapehoking (NYC) and the greater NYC area (NY, NJ, CT, PA) through community-based participatory research (CBPR), advocacy, community programming, and direct services. We envision a world where the rights of Indigenous Peoples and sovereignty are acknowledged and respected with cultural humility. We model continuous consent and free prior and informed consent and consultation as protocol in each of our programming areas. Working holistically with traditional knowledge keepers and western medicine we seek to enhance the overall mental and physical well-being of our urban Indigenous Community. We see a world where Urban Natives are visible in all spaces and will have access to culturally appropriate resources to support, heal, and live healthy lives.