NUIFC Update // Celebrating Two Decades of Service
The NUIFC and our family of Urban Indian Non-profits come together to celebrate 20th year anniversary
After days of meeting and discussing how a small group of urban Indian non-profits from around the country could come together and better advocate for Native people living off-reservation, the NUIFC was born. After two decades of working to elevate and celebrate the beauty of urban Indian America, the NUIFC brought together representatives and leaders from more than 50 urban Native organizations around the country and countless friends and allies to celebrate our 20th anniversary at the Mirage in Las Vegas.
The NUIFC’s 20th Anniversary Gala was a special night for all who attended. There was a photo shoot, video tribute, blanketing ceremony for each organization that makes up the NUIFC, a lifetime achievement award for Ladonna Harris, and prizes to champions of the NUIFC; including the debut of the organizational heartbeat award which celebrates the employees that make a non-profit run but are rarely celebrated. The entire ceremony highlighted both where the NUIFC had been and how we could build forward for the next twenty years.
“The NUIFC is founded on the ideals of collaboration, participation, and the understanding that we are better together,” said Janeen Comenote, the NUIFC’s Executive Director. “A celebration like this shows the breadth and beauty of what we’ve accomplished and the power built and provides us a glimpse of the potential we can still reach.”
Front and center during this celebration was the idea of power building, especially in the civic engagement space, where the NUIFC’s Democracy is Indigenous initiative has flourished. This was made clear during the DII Cohort meeting that was held the day before, where the 23-member coalition discussed their success, how they can continue to develop their work, tactics for the pivotal 2024 election, and how the NUIFC can continue to empower them and their communities.
The highlight of the DII Cohort meeting was our Thriving Cities panel, where we were joined by Shoreline City Councilmember Chris Roberts, At-Large Councilor April Fouriner for the City Council in Portland, Maine, Christina Haswood, and Tawna Sanchez, two state representatives from Kansas and Oregon respectively.
We also hosted our first-ever in-person Weaving our Web Digital Equity cohort meeting, which brought together 19 organizations to discuss how we can work to close the digital divide among urban Native families.
“The NUIFC’s model is built on the idea of a peer-to-peer network, where the organizations we are working with have a chance to learn and support one another so these in-person cohort gatherings are vital to everything we do,” said Rio Fernandes, the director of both cohorts. “This entire week is about celebrating and enhancing all the work that we do and making sure that we are working towards our mission of creating thriving American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
NUIFC 20th Anniversary Photo Gallery
