Thank you, community! For gifting us with your presence and medicine at this year’s 13th Annual BAAITS Two Spirit Powwow and Week of Events.  Even in this time of mourning for the senseless loss of our young relative Nex Benedict, we are committed to creating safe sober spaces for our community, to celebrate each other and all our multiplicities and intersections.  We were able to reach 5,000 attendees throughout the day at this year's powwow, welcome 350 participants/dancers at Grand Entry, 4 drums, including the BAAITS Drum, 72 merchandise vendors, 3 food vendors, 15 nonprofit organizations and over 150 volunteers!

Our work would not be possible without a committed and visionary BAAITS Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, friends, family and accomplices.  With good intentions and deep gratitude, we would also like to thank all the Two Spirit and IndigeQueer societies, alliances, organizations, programs, projects, networks and collectives that represented their kin, nations and people.  We see you, we honor you and we will continue to envision a better world for us all.  

If you missed this year’s events please visit our BAAITS YouTube channel where the 13th Annual BAAITS Two Spirit Powwow was live streamed.  Please stay tuned for upcoming events to continue commemorating BAAITS 25th Year Anniversary!

Online Two Spirit Talking Circle with La Johnny
Monday, March 4 @ 5:30 pm PST

 

As our BAAITS community mourns the loss of our kin Nex Benedict, we invite the Two Spirit IndigeQueer community to come together and check in on one another. Our Talking Circle is our small offering to help in this way. This violence and hate is not uncommon to many of us. May Nex’s loss remind us that there’s still a lot of hard work to do to ensure that we thrive as a people. Please visit our website for a holistic list of resources, and register below for this upcoming Talking Circle with our returning host La Johnny.

Artist's Reflections on the 13th Annual BAAITS
Two-Spirit Powwow Poster
 

In curating images that were chosen for one of three poster designs, presented to the  BAAITS Powwow Committee leadership, the selected final design was not only affirming but a deeply humbling experience. This choice included archival images taken by me on my initiated opportunity to not only attend my first BAAITS powwow, but to also be honored as the lead photographer documenting this legendary community ceremony and event! 

The Culture Bearers in the photographs embodied the spirit of this visionary Board and incredible leadership in a way that stood out and invited me in. I loved the care they took for themselves and others in the arena, their strength and gentleness, their intersectional representations--and their grace stood out in real-time looking back at me in their photographs. I was especially touched to learn more about the individuals at this year's powwow, sharing and growing community-ties in such a loving and familial way. I have a concept of creating a series of silkscreen prints from my photos to offer as archive image artworks, to perhaps raise continued awareness and monetary support for BAAITS in the future. 

I experienced such a profound and life-shaping experience being amongst the process of planning that particular year, and again this year, and was moved to tears of joy and delight by the inspiring and encouraging ways of everyone working collectively for the 25th anniversary and 13th annual gathering. I am especially grateful for being part of the supported artist grantees, and as BAAITS creative capacity consultant, sharing my love and skills as a social media graphic designer and archivist.

Tlazocamati all my relations yAyA  @MOVIMIENTOYAYA

A Message from the BAAITS Powwow Co-Chairs
 

Greetings to our beautiful BAAITS community!

We’re fortunate to have our powwow collaborator team, including many of our community ally organizations. We want thank them for their help this year and always: Queer Cultural Center, 2 Spirits in Motion Society, California Institute of Integral Studies, Castro Country Club, Turnout, Beyond Land Acknowledgment, TGI Justice Project, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, BoomShake, and many more!

Our 13th Annual BAAITS Two-Spirit Powwow was amazing, and we hope you will  share your experience by filling out this survey. We especially encourage you to assist elders and relatives without computer access in completing it! Your feedback will help us continue to celebrate our communities at the 14th Annual BAAITS Two-Spirit Powwow. 

We were very excited to see the great turnout and support from our community during our Powwow Week of Events. These were amazing gatherings featuring our Two Spirit & IndigeQueer community, and we want to continue to be able to offer this programming in the future. Please lend a hand and fill out this evaluation form for all the events you attended. Your feedback is appreciated!

Unpacking in P’town

By Jewelle Gomez

Directed by Kimberly Ridgeway

World Premiere Commission 

March 1-31, 2024

 

Experience the enchanting world of Unpacking in P’town by Jewelle Gomez  (Ioway and African-American) at @nctcsf from March 1-31. Every summer, former vaudevillians Buster, Lydia, Minty, and Scottie reunite in Provincetown to drink, dance, and forget about the real world. But this year is different. It’s 1959, the fight for Civil Rights is heating up, and a restlessness hangs heavy in the humid air. In between the reminiscing, this chosen family is forced to face changes they’ve been hiding from for so long. Completing the Word and Music trilogy by LAMBDA Literary Award winner Jewelle Gomez, Unpacking in P’town is a world premiere portrait of the queer artists of color who paved the way for others to live out loud.

“Gomez is a real storyteller, maybe one of our best” – Bay Area Reporter

20% off with the code ‘BAAITS’ at checkout at nctcsf.org or by calling 415.861.8972

For the Round Dance, please spread the word to bring your own chairs!

All other information will be on flyers, but please don't hesitate to ask if there are any other questions or concerns.

 

AICD Town Hall & Fourth Anniversary Celebration

March 29, 2024, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM PST

Please join us for the American Indian Cultural District (AICD) for our Annual Town Hall and Fourth Anniversary Celebration on Friday, March 29th, from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM at The Lab, 2948 16th Street, in San Francisco. 

The Annual AICD Town Hall is free and open to the public, and will feature updates on local Native initiatives from AICD and our sister American Indian organizations, Native American song and dance, and upcoming Community Visions Gathering events in areas like MMIP & Cultural Preservation.

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