Dear BAAITS Community,
Welcome to our September newsletter and to the beginning of our harvest season of projects, whose seeds were planted many years ago. Early in the BAAITS story, we had an office at the SF LGBT Center that closed after major renovations at the center. For a good portion of our 25-year story, BAAITS has functioned out of borrowed space, community members homes, and more recently via the digital world. In late June of this year, we were able to secure a community space/office in the SF American Indian Cultural District and will utilize the space for gatherings, workshops, performances, teach-ins, and offerings of song and prayer. If you are visiting the SF Bay Area, please stop by and say hello, and definitely join us in upcoming events.
Similarly, BAAITS’s founders and leadership have always been receptive to the challenges and gifts of our pan-tribal Two Spirit and Indigiqueer community. All of our current programming is reflective of these needs and strengths. Last year, with support from the SF Human Rights Commission, we embarked on formalizing this process and implemented a comprehensive community assessment, utilizing a community action participatory research framework. We thank all community members who participated in any way through sharing your stories, and are excited to share findings with the community. These findings will continue to guide our current and future programming.
Lastly and sadly, we want to thank and honor the work and contributions of Mayra Mendoza, our outgoing Program Manager. Their legacy includes the opening of our new community space/offices and the implementation of the Living in Abundance Initiative. We want to wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors and look forward to continuing being in community with them.
Please enjoy our offerings in September and the coming fall months ahead!
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BAAITS Office Grand Opening
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Saturday, September 14, 2024
415 Valencia Street, San Francisco
The grand-opening of the new BAAITS Community Center and Office in the American Indian Cultural District was a wonderful success. The Two-Spirit Heartbeat Exhibit, curated by Celia Sagastume and Ruth Villaseñor is gracing our center with a large hummingbird art piece, as well as storyboards and photos that share the stories of the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) Drum, which arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area in June, 2010. The space is also hosting a photography exhibit on Muxe third-gender relatives of Oaxaca, as captured by artists Nelson Morales and Juan Cortazar. Come by, say hello, and check out the exhibits!
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BAAITS Town Hall:
Living in Abundance Findings
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Wednesday, September 25, 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, PST
BAAITS Community Center & Office
415 Valencia Street, San Francisco
BAAITS would like to cordially invite you to a Town Hall to celebrate the completion of our Living In Abundance (LIA) Initiative's community participatory research. In 2024, with funding from the SF Human Rights Commission, the help of six Community Story Keepers and Sage Consulting, BAAITS gathered information about the needs and strengths of the Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, plus (2TSLGBTQIA+) Indigenous community in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Please stay tuned for the full report available on our website. If you are interested in attending, please email admin@baaits.org as space is limited. Masking highly encouraged when not eating to protect community members.
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Indigenous Sciences:
A Watercolor Workshop
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Sunday, September 28, 2024
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM, PST
BAAITS Community Center & Office
415 Valencia Street, San Francisco
Join us for a watercolor workshop exploring the natural and spiritual world, guided by artist and filmmaker Polaris Castillo. Participants will learn about Indigenous sciences through the art-making process, and will be invited to participate in communal storytelling. Materials and light refreshments provided. Multiple skill levels welcome; open to all ages. Masking highly encouraged when not eating to protect community members.
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Powwow Committee
Information Session
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Wednesday, October 2, 2024
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM, PST
Hybrid via Zoom and In-Person @ BAAITS Community Center & Office
415 Valencia Street, San Francisco
Join our BAAITS crew of friends, family and accomplices as we enjoy good company and share information about volunteering for the 2025 BAAITS Two Spirit Powwow Committee. You'll learn about all the many ways you can get involved in co-creating the largest free and public Two Spirit & Indigiqueer powwow in the world!
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Announcing our 14th Annual
Two-Spirit Powwow
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Save the Date for our 14th Annual Powwow!
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
Stay tuned for more info to come soon!
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Upcoming Community Events
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Click each image to learn more
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Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) is an all-volunteer organization that exists to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural and artistic expression of Two-Spirit people. To that end, BAAITS is committed to offering culturally relevant activities for LGBTQ+ individuals of Native American ancestry and their families and friends.
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