Purses & Pumps for a Purpose
We are gearing up for our first fundraiser in 2024. Stay tuned as we prepare for a smashing event in which several local San Antonio businesses have donated amazing gifts for our silent auction. The event will take place at Elizabeth’s Boutique at Ventura Plaza in north San Antonio. Local shop owners and businesses include Leah from La Tea Da that have the most amazing array of specialty teas. We want to also thank Mercedes of Georgetown, Trader Joe’s, Twin Liquors, Raising Canes, San Antonio Museum of Art, Kendra Scott for their contributions and sponsorships.
I also want to thank Teah Nalani Yates, Donna Hunnicutt-Rodriguez and Nichole Byrd for their amazing participation as models for the promotion of the fashion event.
Summer Solstice
I found and would like share with our community this video I compiled from a native ceremony I was fortunate to participate in. Thanks to Ricky D. Reyes, on the Summer Solstice back in 2021, we all went to Paint Rock, Texas to take part in a rare ceremony to celebrate the longest day of the year. I was able to film it, and just realized that the ’woman’ on this video is Kristela Cortez herself, a friend who recently passed away.
On the Summer Solstice as measured by the ancient people. You might notice the two sun lines above and below the pictograph of a Turtle, which represents “Turtle Island”, an ancient term used by native Americans to describe North America. I should also add that this sun dial phenomenon only happens for a very brief moment, a few minutes only, during the actual solstice, every 13 moon cycles.
Losing One of Our Own
Recently, we lost one of our good friends and collaborators to Pancreatic Cancer. She was only 49. Kristela Cortez was one of three co-founders of the San Antonio Mission Indian Descendants and was instrumental in bringing awareness to the cause of helping Native Americans living in Texas to reconnect not only to their next of kin through genealogy testing, but also inspiring many others to reconnect with the native ancestral traditions and culture. It was only a few years ago that she herself realized that she was Lipan Apache after doing the genetic testing, and was inspired to help others find their own roots.
In December of 2022, she agreed to sit down with me for a filmed interview, as part of an on-going project called American Voice, which is a repository of stories revolving around the conversation of being native and what it means. As part of an ongoing anthology from all over the Americas, our mission of this project is also to reconnect native families that have been separated and displaced by war and other major events, and to preserve native traditions and culture.
Mothers and Daughters!
As part of an ongoing anthology and repository of stories from all over the Americas, our mission is to reconnect native families that have been separated and displaced by war and other major events, and to preserve native traditions and culture. Diana Moreno-Reyes, President of the San Antonio Mission Indian Descendants, sat down with her daughter Hadassah and spoke to us about their family’s journey towards finding their own place and identity living in San Antonio, Texas.
Drowning
Its the rainy season right now in southern Nigeria and austerity measures are being put into place all over the country due to the upcoming national elections.
As a mentor, I’ve volunteered some of my time between projects to help 5 young Nigerian men who are looking to change their lives around from the trappings of online scamming and feeling helpless in their own communities. The Niger Delta is experiencing one of the worst flooding ever. Thousands of people are becoming stranded, isolated and rendered homeless because of rising flood waters. The dams are at their full capacity and bursting and water is being released creating a dire situation for regular people down stream. It’s the worst flooding they’ve experienced in years. Their government is no where to be found with any help whatsoever. The people are on their own to fend for themselves. The country is ripe with corruption and the level of compassion there is very low.
Massacre at Uvalde, TX
On May 24th, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, an unspeakable tragedy unfolded, which has left an entire community in confusion, anger and in deep mourning over the loss of 19 children and two teachers. No more words, but this…
https://youtu.be/DMOC9lTQO0E
This tragedy galvanized our determination to do something to help all of our children, so we at SEE to ACT created our Teach to Empower program.