I would like to preface this post by making it known that I am not an expert in this space and I am learning as I go, but I have made a commitment to myself and community to take action where I can and to do the right thing by the Native Owners of this land.

And what better time of year than at Thanksgiving? A time many of us think of all the ways we are grateful, we eat great food and we spend time with loved ones. But this holiday is also reminder of the dark history of this country and the impact that has had and continues to have had on the families and the culture of our Native People.

One small action I can take towards a better future is to make some small reparations to the Native People where I live.

I live on traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone land and I do not take this privilege for granted.

If you live in the Bay Area as a non-indigenous settler (white folks I’m looking at you), I ask you to pay this tax too.

It’s one concrete thing we can do to begin the process of making reparations to the people and communities harmed by colonization of these lands and genocide of the communities who lived here.

Here is a link to pay your tax: https://sogoreate-landtrust.com/shuumi-land-tax/

If you are a settler in the Seattle area you can pay rent to the Duwamish https://www.realrentduwamish.org/

If you live elsewhere, please do some research and find out what tribes are indigenous to the land you’ve settled on. Ask them how you can begin the process of making reparations.

It’s great that so many of this community care about the treatment of indigenous people and other marginalised groups but it is CRITICAL that we take that care and turn it into ACTION.