Native Americans

A Native American activist, Harvard-educated economist and author, Winona LaDuke has devoted her life to advocating for indigenous people’s rights and environmental justice. Combining economic and environmental approaches, she works to create a thriving and sustainable community for her own White Earth reservation and for  Indigenous populations across the country. LaDuke attended Harvard University and […]

Susan Harness is the author of Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption and High Plains Book Award winner in the categories of Indigenous Writer and Creative Nonfiction. A member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, her interest in transracial adoption in general, and American Indian transracial adoption specifically, extends well beyond the academic.  She has […]

Dr. Lyla June Johnston (aka Lyla June) is an Indigenous musician, scholar, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. Her messages focus on Indigenous rights, supporting youth, traditional land stewardship practices and healing intergenerational and intercultural trauma. Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective and […]

Valerie Red-Horse, of Cherokee heritage, graduated cum laude from UCLA’s Theater Arts Department and further studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. She began her entertainment career with extensive television and film work as a leading actress. Valerie turned to writing, developing and producing in 1993.  Her original screenplay, LOZEN, based on the life story […]

Chef Sean Sherman has dedicated his career to supporting and promoting Indigenous food systems and Native food sovereignty. Sean’s cooking style is based on pre-colonial Indigenous food systems, using only ingredients that are native to North America. His menus are inspired by the seasons and the land, featuring traditional ingredients like bison, hand-harvested wild rice, […]

Diane Humetewa is a member of the Hopi Indian Tribe located in northeastern Arizona. She was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona from 2006 – 2009. She was the first Native American female to be presidentially appointed to that position, where she presided over one of the largest U.S. Attorney Offices with one […]

Se-ah-dom (Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce and Yakama) brings deep experience in community organizing for racial and social justice work across the nation. Prior to joining Seeding Justice, Se-ah-dom served as the Sovereignty Program Director at Western States Center where she was the coalition convener of Tribal History: Shared History (Senate Bill 13, 2017) in Oregon, which established and funded the […]

Molly Kawahata is a dynamic speaker, strategist, and ice climber renowned for her pioneering work in harnessing the power of hope within organizations. With a background as a former climate advisor to the Obama White House, Molly brings a unique blend of expertise in leadership, organizational development, and narrative transformation to her speaking engagements. Affectionately […]

Gyasi Ross stands as a beacon of advocacy and empowerment within Native communities, wielding his expertise across law, education, activism, literature, and filmmaking. His distinctive ability to spark dialogue and incite introspection is rooted in his unapologetically forthright style and his penchant for addressing the tough questions crucial for the progression of Native nations. Born […]

Gabrielle Sagalov (Scrimshaw) is an Indigenous professional with a passion for creating social impact. She has an MBA from Stanford and is a Gleitsman Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University. As the Public Sector Education Lead at Apple, Gabrielle supports education policy and strategic initiatives across K-12. Prior to Apple, Gabrielle […]