The American Indian Culture and Research Journal published its latest issue (46:2) on July 15th. This publication marks the first open-access issue of our journal that was not a special issue. The essay topics include resource extraction on Native lands; Black Indigeneities; how stories of the paranormal can erase Indigenous oral traditions; how racial shifting can involve state recognition politics and stories of healing from the Gulf Coast.

In this latest issue, available to all for free at eScholarship, we are particularly proud of our UCLA alumna, Dr. Theresa Stewart-Ambo (Tongva), whose article she co-authored with her sister, Kelly Leah Stewart (Gabrieliono-Tongva). Go Bruins! Their article specifically examines UCLA as a land grant institution and how Tongva resilience continues on, near, and around UCLA, which sits on Tongva land. 
 
In the spring, Dr. Randy Akee announced that he would not be seeking reappointment as the editor-in-chief. Dr. David Delgado Shorter has accepted the invitation to move into the position, no longer “interim.” Thankfully, Dr. Akee has agreed to take a position on the editorial board. In the last year, the journal has moved to open access, raised tens of thousands of dollars to support our endeavor, increased the editorial board to include three Indigenous community members; and expanded its networks on all four main social media platforms.

Our editorial team attended the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association annual meeting in Toronto, Canada. They were able to showcase our new webpage and continue fostering our strong bonds with the scholars in Indigenous studies.


















If you are not already, please follow us to see our weekly posts. In June alone, our journal was requested by name over 4,500 times in the eScholarship platform. Almost 4,000 people clicked one article or book review to read. Over 1,000 items were downloaded from our journal. These numbers signal that our journal is making an impact in the scholarly world and beyond. The social media presence, the move to open access, the focus on shorter times from submission to publication, and the aim to publish more junior scholars, more women authors, and more Indigenous writers are all adding up to an increased readership.

With appreciation to our hard-working staff handling book reviews, editorial assistance, management, design, and technology matters, we are continuing the journal’s long and respected tradition. Be on the lookout for our next academic year as we work on Zoom events, developmental editing awards for junior scholars, and two exciting special issues. 

David Delgado Shorter
AICRJ Editor in Chief
Professor, UCLA World Arts and Cultures/Dance