Overview
People and communities have the right to express themselves. We protect and draw from our traditional cultures while ensuring that everyone is able create culture together.
Whether we are dancing, singing, painting a mural, kicking a football, praying for rain, or gathering to honor our dead—our cultures are who we are. Culture tells us where we came from, where we are, and where we can go. Cultural sovereignty means we are in charge of how we embody, remember, and shift our cultures. It enables our many different ways of understanding and existing in our complex world to survive. Unlike white supremacy and other ideologies that are about preserving cultures of dominance, cultural sovereignty is about honoring our differences; navigating the discomfort, tension, and conflict that comes from encountering different cultures; learning to speak one another’s languages; and creating new ways of being together that build on our histories rather than destroying them. Our cultures tell us to meet our neighbors, to face our fears together, to listen. The art, culture, and meaning we make is our defiance of the forces that try to take away our humanity. We create to be human. We create because we are human.
Guiding Questions
How can we draw strength and wisdom from our own cultures as we try to solve big problems?
How can our solutions incorporate cultural practices that honor the fullness of our humanity?