Indigenous Roots

Youth-Led and Youth-Centered Programming:Indigenous Roots is home to the Interthrival Indigenous Youth Coalition (IIYC) which is a youth council that acts as the driving force behind the representation of youth voice in our space. As such, we have a variety of youth-centered programming and events taking place. At the core of our youth work is Roots Cafe - a youth led, creative economy development program. Roots Cafe not only offers a safe environment to develop employment skills, but provides a space for youth to form positive adult relationships, and connect with their cultural identity.

Artist and Business Incubation:Indigenous Roots IRoots is a coalition of artists, culture bearers, business owners, cultural groups and organizations dedicated to building, supporting and cultivating opportunities for and with Brown, Black, Native and Indigenous Peoples through cultural arts and activism. As such, we lend our space, resources and networks to emerging BIPOC artists, culture bearers and small business owners seeking to establish themselves. We do this for example by hosting 8-10 emerging artists gallery exhibitions throughout the year, sharing storefront space with small businesses, grant writing assistance and more. Our collective partners include BLCK Press, City Mischief, Indigenous Lotus, Videos de Sancho, Karaya Guey, Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli, Conferencia Alianza Latinx, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice in Minnesota, Esencia Mexicana, Cypher Side and a dozen other artists and groups and we act as fiscal sponsor for a large variety of smaller organizations.

Community Responsive Programming, Advocacy and Special Events:Beyond our regular programming, Indigenous Roots receives a lot of requests for partner- and allyship for events, social justice and community related projects, events and more. As we continually aim to meet the ever changing needs of a widely diverse community, our programming shifts throughout the years, including a variety of staple events that activate community and provide opportunities for engagement with large audiences. These events also offer economic opportunities for a wide range of artists and Black, Brown and Indigenous vendors.

Culture Bearer Residency Center - Centro Noxtitlan, Mataxhi, MX:In 2024, we completed the purchase of 100 acres of land with a 3,500 sq ft hacienda and horse stable based in Mataxhi, MX just an hour outside of Mexico City. Centro Cultural Noxtitlan is a vibrant cultural center established through a partnership between US-based and local Indigenous leaders and in October 2024, we completed our first cultural exchange bringing elders and youth to the land. This initiative is rooted in ancestral teachings and aims to foster economic opportunities and cultural exchange among Indigenous communities in Mataxhi, surrounding regions in Mexico, and the United States. After two years of collaboration with the Mataxhi community, Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli and Indigenous Roots leaders seized the opportunity to acquire this land as part of a landback effort, which will eventually provide locals with land access and economic development.In our work, we are often leveraging our vast network of community partners as well as being called on for policy work, advocacy on various levels and engage in policy work that pushes for adequate representation and funding for core issues identified within the communities we serve.