Facing Defunding, Indigenous Cultural Workers Say They Cannot Be Suppressed

"The Trump administration's efforts to reshape federal cultural institutions as part of a broader attack on what the president characterizes as "woke" or diversity, equity, and inclusion policies have left many Indigenous arts and culture institutions in a challenging position, according to leaders at those institutions as well as culture workers and advocates who spoke to Truthout. Institutions offering Indigenous arts and culture programming,"

"Faced with sweeping cuts to federal agencies that have historically supported cultural programming nationwide, these institutions are dipping into reserves, building new partnerships, turning to their communities for donations, and receiving added support from philanthropic organizations. "At one level or another, we're all impacted by this," Estevan Rael-Galvez, executive director of Native Bound Unbound, told Truthout of his organization's work and others in the field."

Federal efforts to reshape cultural institutions and oppose diversity, equity, and inclusion policies have placed many Indigenous arts and culture institutions in a difficult position. Institutions centering Indigenous and other communities of color face disproportionate risk of defunding and further marginalization under these policy changes. Proposed cuts to federal agencies that historically funded cultural programming are prompting institutions to tap reserves, build new partnerships, solicit community donations, and pursue philanthropic support. The administration's attack on cultural heritage programs intensifies determination within Native Bound Unbound to recover histories of Indigenous slavery across the Western Hemisphere. The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums identified proposals to eliminate the NEH and IMLS as a threat to the future of Indigenous archives, libraries, museums, cultural centers, and historic preservation offices.

Read at Truthout