Looking Back on 2020

What a year 2020 has been. Between the global pandemic and relocating to the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, our team has had our hands full with projects even while working from home. Keep reading to catch up on anything you may have missed!

Responding to COVID-19

Much of this year has certainly been shaped by the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, we were forced to cancel, for the first time since its inception, the AIHREA Our Nations' Energies Health and Wellness Powwow. However, its cancellation offered us an opportunity to look back on the many successful powwows we've hosted and anticipate when we can host amazing, in-person events with all of you again.

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​With a significant portion of our time freed up from powwow planning, we directed our efforts toward providing information about the pandemic. From providing a reading list featuring Native authors to keep you occupied during quarantine and providing self-care tips to help manage your mental health during these trying times, to designing COVID-19 educational materials for distribution in Native communities, we kept ourselves quite busy as we transitioned to fully working from home. All of these resources continue to be available here on our website and if you would like your community to receive copies of our educational brochures and/or posters, contact Jason Hale for more information. 

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​As it became increasingly clear that the pandemic was hitting Native communities especially hard, we also turned our attention to understanding these impacts. Currently, we are working on multiple projects exploring how Native peoples have reacted to the pandemic, including how traditional practices have been used to cope with the challenges posed by COVID-19, including social distancing and increased food insecurity among others. We are also documenting the various policies put in place by Native communities around the country to combat the spread of the virus. Stay tuned in 2021 for more information about all of these projects!
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Institute for Indigenous Studies at Lehigh

As if the global pandemic didn't keep us busy enough, we also made a cross-country move this summer to the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania to establish the Institute for Indigenous Studies (IIS) in the newly formed College of Health at Lehigh University. In addition to establishing potential partnerships within the College and across the greater University, we also were involved in a number of virtual events this fall including a virtual trivia night, two film screenings, of Keepers of the Game and Wind River, and two panel discussions, discussing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the impacts of pipeline infrastructure on Native communities. We were so happy to be welcomed to Lehigh with open arms and look forward to many successful partnerships in the future. In case you missed it, catch our MMIWG panel below! 

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In addition to hosting these events, IIS members also provided feedback on the creation of a land acknowledgement statement through the Lehigh University Office of Multicultural Affairs. You can red the whole statement in our November newsletter.

Research Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted our research projects that were in-development or already underway. 

Despite some delays, participants in our Native Research Ambassadors Program that was launched last year, are currently finishing up their final projects. They've learned about the many different steps in the grant writing process from the foundations of finding an appropriate grant mechanism to implementation and sustainability of a program. Although we weren't able to hold an in-person graduation and bring them out to Pennsylvania to celebrate, we are incredibly proud of the work they have accomplished and are happy to be sending out their certificates of completion soon.

Also, a special shout out to NRAP participant Rene Begay who was recently featured in a New York Times Magazine article discussing NIH's All of Us DNA collection program. Keep up the great work Rene and all of our participants!

We are also continuing to work on our two smoking cessation projects based on our successful culturally-tailored program, All Nations Breath of Life. Both our implementation and telephone-based trials are set to begin recruitment in the new year. If you or someone you know is interested in participating in either of these programs, contact Joe Pacheco or Luke Swimmer for more information.

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As always, thank you all so much for your support and we cannot wait to see you all in-person again soon!