|
The BAAITS Board and 12th Annual Powwow Committee Volunteers have been meeting for the past several months to create another transformative Two-Spirit Powwow Week for you. And we also have some exciting news to share: please join us in welcoming Angel C. Fabian as our new Executive Director and M. Zamora as our new Program Manager! Under their leadership, we're excited about the expansive offerings BAAITS will be bringing you in the year ahead. But first, we hope to see you Saturday, February 4th, as we come together once again to celebrate our community at the largest Two-Spirit Powwow in the world!
|
|
Two-Spirit Powwow Schedule
|
|
|
This year's powwow will adhere to Covid Protocols according to San Francisco City Guidelines. This event will also be live-streamed. For event registration and more information, please visit our website:
|
|
Meet Our New Leadership Team
|
|
|
Longtime advocate, Angel C. Fabian (he/she/they), known in ceremonial spaces as Tlahuizpapalotl (Butterfly of Light), has been named BAAITS Executive Director. They are a person in recovery, an immigrant, a curanderx, Two-Spirit/Queer, Ben'Zaa(Zapotecx)/ Xicanx manager/administrator and cultural bearer. They possess a 20+ year history of progressive direct social service, coordination, coaching, management, community organizing, advocacy and policy experience across a range of settings, including community-based organizations, community health centers, public health departments, foundations, grassroots organization and community collectives.
"I take the role of Executive Director with great honor and humility and have learned the importance of becoming the elder I would have liked to have had, of being open to learning and teachings from all members in the community, including the young and aging, and of the need to (re)create vibrant transformative spaces for Two-Spirit community members," said Angel.
|
|
|
M. Zamora, a Chicana, Yoeme (Yaqui) and Tongva Two Spirit feminist educator and community organizer, has been named the new BAAITS Program Manager. Their ancestors come from the Los Angeles Basin and northern Mexico’s Sonora and Chihuahua regions. They have served as ceremonial singer/drumkeeper in their Two Spirit community for over 16 years. Zamora has taught Ethnic Studies, Chicana/o Latina/o Studies, and Gender Studies and Feminist Theory at California State University East Bay, University of San Francisco and Stanford University. They are currently the department administrator for Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Mills College.
We're honored Angel and Zamora have joined our leadership team, and we look forward to sharing more of their plans and visions for BAAITS' future in the coming months ahead.
|
|
Serving as BAAITS Interim Executive Director for the past few years, we'd like to take a moment to honor Amelia Vigil for her incredible leadership and fundraising efforts to create our organization's growth. Her steadfast vision and tireless devotion to BAAITS is a legacy that will be felt for years to come.
Amelia is a San Franciscan, Two- Spirit, Urban- Indigenous/xicano, performance artist, poet, and outdoor educator. Their indigenous heritage is Picuris Pueblo (Paternal), Purepecha (maternal), and Mixed Spanish/New Mexican. They have been involved with BAAITS since 2013, joined the Board of Directors in 2015, and became Board chair in 2019 before serving as Interim Director. Their advocacy and support of Indigenous self-determination is a constant in their life. Thank you, Amelia, for your service, your strength, and your gifts.
|
|
|
Our poster for this year's powwow pays homage to John Sneezy who began their next journey earlier this year. John was always willing to drum, pray, compose a song, and last year functioned as one of our leads in the Covid Advisory Committee with his medical background for the Two-Spirit Powwow. We express our gratitude to his parents who gave us permission to use his image and honor him. We will also be holding space for a memorial dance at the Powwow. T-shirt sales, available in-person at the powwow, will go directly to his family.
|
|
|
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 LGBT individuals of Native American ancestry and their families and friends. Please help us continue with our mission!
|
|
|
|
|
