URGENT! LETTER WRITERS NEEDED!
Every Monday in March 2024
This four-part exploratory workshop is a collaboration of the SWFL RESET Center, Love the Everglades Movement and UU Justice Florida (UUJF) It is funded by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee to promote Indigenous Sovereignty, Resilience, and Climate Justice.
The event marks the 2nd year these entities have collaborated to increase understanding and community for indigenous solidarity in our region.
Last year’s event was very educational. This year the focus is on action. We’ll be going beyond Land Acknowledgement into action & community-building.
Participants can expect to discover ways to honor and support Indigenous Sovereignty, and how to be good allies in the struggle to Protect The Sacred.
Guest speakers from local & international indigenous communities will offer insight on Everglades priorities and the latest indigenous reports from COP28. You’ll also be creating a personal action plan & begin implementation during the 4-week session, with the support of your fellow travelers.
A full curriculum of reading materials and videos are provided. We ask participants to commit to all four sessions on ZOOM.
2024 Workshop Curriculum
ZOOM SESSION 1 Resources:
March 4:
“Welcome to the Garden - Living Land Acknowledgement”
Action: Fill out this Form Welcome to Being a Good Neighbor
Watch The Importance of Land Acknowledgment (4:19)
Watch Climate Solution - Taking their Land Back (4:41)
Watch Auntie Betty Osceola’s 2023 talk (18:44)
Watch/Read The Honor Native Land Guide (4:05) will be helpful
Action: Bring a Draft of your own Land Acknowledgement – Make it from your Heart.
New addition! Watch Betty Osceola | Native America | PBS (6:05)
ZOOM SESSION 2 Resources: March 11, 2024
“Settler Colonialism and Climate Change”
Pre-session/preliminary reading:
Watch: Two Spirits, One Dance (1m50s)
Read: The Doctrine of Discovery (1 page)
Read: What is Settler Colonialism (1 page)
Watch: Bobby C Billie - The Ancestors and the Land
Watch: International Indian Treaty Council, Live from Dubai
Mary Lyons - Watch from (26:00 - 34:30) (8.5 min)
Chief Gary Harrison Watch from (35:00 - 44:00) (9 min)
Watch: COP is a FLOP! North American Frontline Groups Report on Lack of Progress at COP28.
Ariel Deranger - Diné- (6:15 - 13:15) (7 min)
Tom Goldtooth - Diné (13:15 - 17:15) (4 min)
We welcome our special guest Great Grandmother Mary Lyons, Leech Lake, MN Ojibwe Elder
ZOOM SESSION 3 Resources: March 18
March 18, 2024
“Everglades Restoration and Defending the Sacred”
Pre-session/preliminary reading:
Read: Miccosukee History page (1 page)
Read: Bobby C Billie - The Ancestors and the Land
Read/Watch together: Miccosukee Led Plan Could Finally End New Oil Drilling Efforts in The Everglades by Talbert Cypress
Contemplative: Consider your personal life:
How have you been a good neighbor to others? (How did that make you feel?)
When has someone from another community been a good neighbor to you? How did that make you feel?
Think about what your relationship is with the land
William Osceola
Edward Ornstein
In Session 3 we will explore Local Everglades Priorities with special guests William Osceola (AKA Popeye) Secretary of the Miccosukee Business Council and Edward Ornstein, Special Counsel on Environmental Affairs.
Download this PDF: Additional Resources shared by Houston Cypress, Session #3
ZOOM SESSION 4 Resources:
March 25, 2024
“Solidarity and Moving Into Action”
Pre-session/preliminary reading:
Read: Two Spirit Nation Rise to Reclaim Space in the Sacred Fire
Watch: Two Spirit Tuesdays
Watch/Read Treaties, Peace, and Reconciliation (By Rev Houston Cypress)
In Session 4 we are honored to have these special guests share wisdom and insights with us:
Robert Rosa, Florida representative for the U.C.T.P. (United Confederation of Taino People) and a member of the central Florida division of the American Indian Movement (AIM), and Sergio “Papa” Ruark, dance performer of Quechua descent from Malvas, Peru.
Robert Rosa
FL Representative, U.C.T.P.
Robert Rosa is the Florida representative for the U.C.T.P. (United Confederation of Taino People) and a member of the central Florida division of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Rosa successfully advocated for saving land near the Micanopy Native American Heritage Preserve, Florida that was earmarked by a developer for a Dollar General store. The disputed land is near the site of a key battle of the Seminole Wars and a Native American burial ground.
Sergio “Papa” Ruark
Dance Performer, Quechua Descent
Sergio (He/him) is a dance performer of Quechua descent from Malvas, Perú. He recently obtained his Master’s in Anthropology from the University of Miami. He is passionate about attending Two-Spirit Pow Wows and Gatherings to share his ancestral Andean culture. Last year, Sergio was invited to dance at the Miccosukee Pride in Florida and Missoula Pride in Montana. He was also invited to become a Conchero dancer at Ameyal, Mexican Organization in Miami. Sergio incorporates these experiences in his presentations to educate a broad audience about dancing, healing, and resilience.
See additional resources below
Additional Educational Resources
As we prepared this program, we found the following resources to be very helpful.
Informative Links:
Native Son, Jim Billie
Seminole Winds by John Anderson
Miccosukee Waters by Nancy R. Koerner
Music and Dance:
An Indigenous People's History of the United States, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
As Long as Grass Grows, The Indigenous fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
River of Grass, Marjorie Stoneman Douglass.
Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Kimmerer
Important Books
For questions about the Being A Good Neighbor Program, do not hesitate to contact us at swflreset@gmail.com
or call 239-464-6556
The First Being a Good Neighbor Course was Hosted by The SWFL RESET Center, the Love The Everglades Movement, and members of 4 Unitarian Universalist Congregations.
Generously Funded By: