Q. Crushing Colonialism has a mission to uplift Indigenous voices and center Indigenous storytelling. Why is this an important mission? Why is Crushing Colonialism and events like DBIWP so important?

[They are] a really amazing way of really centering our stories and centering our existence. I joined the board with that in mind, because I find that in most movement work at this point there’s a really big lack in understanding of Indigenous cultures. In the way that we frame things. It still comes from this push against a Western lens instead of centering our own lens. It’s really, really easy to stay in in opposition to something and a lot harder to bring yourself fully in the culture that you come from, with the way that colonialism has really impacted specifically Native American communities, but really Indigenous communities globally. And so I think that that aspect of it—of really helping us to showcase ourselves and not put it under those pretenses—is just such an important thing.

Q. Has your perspective on DBIWP and events like this shifted over time or with the current political context?

When I think about DBIWP, I really feel like it’s a continuation of the things that tribes have been doing for a really long time. For my lifetime at least, and a lot of it even further back. DBIWP is really about an extension of that drive to continue to have our voices be in the world. And while it is true that in this current political climate that is something that is more needed than ever, I think the reality is it’s always been needed. We have always had to create our own spaces like this.

Q. Are there are any other themes that would be woven into your participation in DBIWP?

My gender really comes into play a lot here, too. I have really deconstructed the way that my gender was erased specifically because of colonialism. I believe fairly solidly that the way that I would have been treated in pre-colonial times, or if we hadn’t had the colonial influence, that my gender would have never been in question, it probably would have been something that was embraced from very early on. And so those aspects of how those integrate together is something else I will be very much bringing to the table.

Q. Do you have any reflections on how DBIWP could be significant to the community?

One of the things that we’re getting to now with Indigiqueer identity and the ways that we’ve really deconstructed that, presents a new stage in the way that we can bring our communities together, countrywide and globally. Because we have the ability to integrate these things into the public consciousness . . . this marks something that is really important for our continued longevity and continued existence.

Q. How has your Indigeneity impacted your more general participation in the work that you do?

I really try to relate to experiences that I’ve had and help people build that relational understanding. It’s bringing in these multiple layers that we, as Native people (at least in North America) have always tried to do. At least my specific tribal culture has that integration of understanding, but in a way that’s relatable to others. And I think that that is something that is central to the way that we get to talk about it with DBIWP and within Crushing Colonialism. It is really trying to bring that humanity to ways that aren’t the dominant society’s views.

Q. And what types of supports have you experienced within Indigenous community for the work that you do?

As an autistic person, my communication is very much frowned upon within most communities. The way that I come to things is very much marginalized because of the way that my culture does push back against the dominant culture, but also because my disability doesn’t allow for the masking and code switching that most of us have to do within normal society. That’s not something I have to do here. The support that I get is not even really support, it is just the overall culture where I can be like, this is just what is happening. This is what I need. And so there’s not the heavy basis of like trying to force me into those different framings that happens a whole lot outside of Indigenous spaces. I put this down to the fact that we are so relational that that kind of support is just embedded in the culture, and that makes it so much easier to work with everyone.

Q. I don’t want to create artificial divisions between the communities. But I’m also going to ask what the supports have been like in in disability community?

So that’s a little bit trickier. Autism as a disability has had a very fraught past and present. Within disability rights, we see a lot of individualism that is embedded, everything is so person centered that it’s also the person’s responsibility to overcome their challenges and find ways to fit into the normative community. And so disability has that really heavy influence to it, if you’re not looking within Disability Justice communities. And so when I typically show up there, there’s still this very heavy emphasis on, “I need to find ways to support myself,” instead of asking for support from the collective that I’m part of.

Q. Again, not to artificially separate the communities. But I’m interested in the supports you have found in queer community?

Queer community is way more accepting of difference . . . It’s more acceptable within the identity to push against norms . . . Those are all embraced at least within the queer communities that I am a part of. I don’t trend towards being in white, queer communities. I definitely still trend towards BIPoC communities similar to the way I’m separating out disability rights and disability justice . . . Queer spaces? They expect that individuality. So the way that I present, the way that I come is accepted and integrated, but less relationally and more as this is your identity formation.

Q. And then for DBIWP, is it more focused on the collective experience or more focused on all of these multiple elements?

All these things come together in a really lovely way. It’s not just opposition, it is our own . . . I think it does both. And I think that’s what’s so amazing about it. Because we do all come from different cultures. The people that are performing, those of us that are doing the panel stuff. We do come from very different cultures. But there’s something about the way that we come to it that is all similar, and all in the same vein. And so we get to bring that individuality that we expect from queer culture, but also the collective identity of our Indigenous cultures being something to bring to the forefront and doing it in community with each other, so that we can have that more powerful community and collective existence and message.

Q. Do you have a key take home message for Indigiqueer folks specifically, who will be attending or will be part of the live stream, or watching DBIWP programming?

Come as you are, because I think that you will be accepted into our spaces, no matter how you present, how you move through the world. That that is the point of this. That bringing ourselves wholly and fully is how people should feel like they can come and engage with us.

Q. Any take home messages for allies who are attending DBIWP?

The same message. Come as you are, come with your gaps in understanding, and not feel threatened by that. And to recognize that this is how we are going to show our community our culture. So you can understand us better. So you can see our fullness. But not trying to make it about what you can learn. Just come and be present as you are, because we will embrace you, too.

Q. Do you have any final thoughts about anything that we’ve been talking about?

Because of all the changes politically, I know that this is something that people are either scared or excited about involving themselves in and coming to. And I think that right now, what I think people should be thinking about is how much we can make this a celebration in this moment and not just make it about the opposition. I think that what we are doing is wholly good by itself, without the climate, and that we should bring that joy of being in community. That is something that we should be embracing in this moment, because we need to have these moments of joy.