Support an Emerging Native Raised Other Writer
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Hi, my name is Rosa Blumenfeld and I’m fundraising so that I can tell my story to change the world. By supporting me in writing this book, you are not only supporting one Native Raised Other woman to pursue my dreams and my purpose. (Native Raised Other means that I am Native/Indigenous, but was not raised on my land, speaking my language, or connected to my people.) You are also enabling me to shine a light on the path home for my people and all other peoples who can use this work to come home to their Native and Indigenous lands, languages, and peoples. You are giving us all hope that this is possible, and a set of tools to actually get to work in a responsible and respectful way. The book will be based on my online coming home work classes which you can read more about on my website here , which are based on teaching more Native Raised Native and Indigenous elders and mentors.
Seeing ourselves in a story helps us understand the world in new ways as human beings. In this book I hope to tell my story as part of teaching people about what being Native Raised Other means and what tools they can use to do decolonizing work in their own lives and in our Latino/a/x, Hispanic, Chicano/a/x, communities. I am starting with my own experiences as a Colombian Canadian woman because I know my story the best. And yes, I know that these umbrella terms and Latinidad itself was created by colonization, and I only use them so that I can find my audience. That's why I am writing this book, so that we can get out of this colonial framework!
In the chapter about class, I will talk about my experiences being a union organizer. What that taught me about which side I wanted to be on in the world. I will also describe the working class jobs that I have had in my life as a nanny, restaurant worker, and substitute teacher in the Boston Public schools. What they taught me about how working class people think and work. How I learned how to prioritize, build relationships and keep going even when I was exhausted.
In the chapter about religion, I will talk about what it was like to be raised in the Jewish community instead of the Muisca spiritual traditions. What it was like for me to be claimed in order to be othered by white Jews. But also what it was like to be deeply loved by people who try hard and fail often. I will also talk about the decolonization work that needs to be done in the US Jewish community and how that relates to antisemitism and Israel/Palestine.
In the chapter about racial identity, I will talk about the difference between decolonization work and anti-racism work. How racism and genocide often look the same but are actually very different because of their relationships with capitalism itself. Just like a rising tide raises all boats, I urge us all to support movements like Black Lives Matter because it is the right thing to do, but also moves the needle for us as Native peoples.
My entire life has been a journey to figure out who I actually am instead of who the world told me I was supposed to be. This photo is me at Lake Guatavita in 2016, which is sacred to my people, the Muisca. When I was gifted with the words Native Raised Other, a huge wave of relief washed over me. These words enabled me to find my place amongst my people. To know that even though I wasn’t raised in my Native/Indigenous tribe, that there was still a place for me there. That it wasn’t my fault that genocide, capitalism, sexism, racism, and assimilation had combined forces to steal me from our nation. That there was actually a body of personal decolonization work that I could do in order to come home to my Native/Indigenous identity with respect, integrity, and peace. I want to pay that gift forward and give it to as many people as need it and want to work for it.
Most of us who are Latino/a/x were raised to believe that our Indigenous roots were a thing of the past that are best left there. Forgotten and irrelevant to today’s Spanish speaking, Catholic, and capitalist nation states. We have bought into this form of national amnesia because the road that our families were forced to take to fit into these national paradigms was painful and violent. But if we do not remember who we are, we will never find our way out of the mess that these nations have made of our land, our peoples, and our world. Indigeneity is the only way of being that is older, wiser, and stronger than capitalism. Which is why we have been told that we can never go back to it. The current system seeks to protect itself by erasing all links to the old ways. Including within our own hearts and minds.
Seeing ourselves in a story helps us understand the world in new ways as human beings. In this book I hope to tell my story as part of teaching people about what being Native Raised Other means and what tools they can use to do decolonizing work in their own lives and in our Latino/a/x, Hispanic, Chicano/a/x, communities. I am starting with my own experiences as a Colombian Canadian woman because I know my story the best. And yes, I know that these umbrella terms and Latinidad itself was created by colonization, and I only use them so that I can find my audience. That's why I am writing this book, so that we can get out of this colonial framework!
In the chapter about class, I will talk about my experiences being a union organizer. What that taught me about which side I wanted to be on in the world. I will also describe the working class jobs that I have had in my life as a nanny, restaurant worker, and substitute teacher in the Boston Public schools. What they taught me about how working class people think and work. How I learned how to prioritize, build relationships and keep going even when I was exhausted.
In the chapter about religion, I will talk about what it was like to be raised in the Jewish community instead of the Muisca spiritual traditions. What it was like for me to be claimed in order to be othered by white Jews. But also what it was like to be deeply loved by people who try hard and fail often. I will also talk about the decolonization work that needs to be done in the US Jewish community and how that relates to antisemitism and Israel/Palestine.
In the chapter about racial identity, I will talk about the difference between decolonization work and anti-racism work. How racism and genocide often look the same but are actually very different because of their relationships with capitalism itself. Just like a rising tide raises all boats, I urge us all to support movements like Black Lives Matter because it is the right thing to do, but also moves the needle for us as Native peoples.
My entire life has been a journey to figure out who I actually am instead of who the world told me I was supposed to be. This photo is me at Lake Guatavita in 2016, which is sacred to my people, the Muisca. When I was gifted with the words Native Raised Other, a huge wave of relief washed over me. These words enabled me to find my place amongst my people. To know that even though I wasn’t raised in my Native/Indigenous tribe, that there was still a place for me there. That it wasn’t my fault that genocide, capitalism, sexism, racism, and assimilation had combined forces to steal me from our nation. That there was actually a body of personal decolonization work that I could do in order to come home to my Native/Indigenous identity with respect, integrity, and peace. I want to pay that gift forward and give it to as many people as need it and want to work for it.
Most of us who are Latino/a/x were raised to believe that our Indigenous roots were a thing of the past that are best left there. Forgotten and irrelevant to today’s Spanish speaking, Catholic, and capitalist nation states. We have bought into this form of national amnesia because the road that our families were forced to take to fit into these national paradigms was painful and violent. But if we do not remember who we are, we will never find our way out of the mess that these nations have made of our land, our peoples, and our world. Indigeneity is the only way of being that is older, wiser, and stronger than capitalism. Which is why we have been told that we can never go back to it. The current system seeks to protect itself by erasing all links to the old ways. Including within our own hearts and minds.
I feel it in my bones that now is the time for me to write this book. I am so grateful to everyone who taught me what I needed to learn to decolonize my own heart and mind. By supporting me in writing this book you are enabling me to pay it forward. To be as generous with my students as my mentors and teachers have been with me. To grow this work so that we can all undo the effects of colonization, racism, genocide, and sexism on our peoples. To show that it is possible to come home in a responsible way.
Knowing our culture and our place in the world is what gives us the strength to stand for what is right. Please help me give my peoples our strength back. Let us sew the seeds of change together.
Knowing our culture and our place in the world is what gives us the strength to stand for what is right. Please help me give my peoples our strength back. Let us sew the seeds of change together.
Fundraising team (3)
Rosa Blumenfeld
Organizer
Boston, MA
Nadav David
Team member
Donna Blythe-McColgan
Team member