Seminar with Amah Mutsun Tribal Chair Lopez

December 7, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, please consider attending a special interactive Zoom presentation featuring the Amah Mutsun Tribal Chair, Valentin Lopez. The presentation is meant for a general audience but are also aimed at informing the politically-active populations of the region; elected representatives at all levels of government have been invited to attend this event. Lou Chiaramonte, Jr., from South Bay Indigenous Solidarity will be speaking briefly before the Tribal Chair presents, to discuss regional efforts and individual actions related to acting in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. Do please consider sharing this invitation with any other individuals or groups that might have interest in these events. Even if you have heard from the Tribal Chair before, this presentation will be more in-depth than previous ones. And a full-half hour will be dedicated to audience interaction.

The December 7 presentation will be given during the guest speaker section of the Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area's December meeting. This meeting is being co-sponsored by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, the Jewish Democratic Club of Santa Clara County, and the Bay Area Iranian-American Democratic Club. Although taking place at the guest speaker portion of a Democratic Club, the Amah Mutsun presentation is non-partisan in nature. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band does not endorse any political party.

The Zoom login for this presentation is:
Meeting ID: 882 3464 2075
Passcode: 462289


The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band represents descendants of those who were taken to Mission San Juan Bautista and Mission Santa Cruz. The Tribe has organized the Amah Mutsun Land Trust, which has entered agreements to help steward Ancestral Lands which exist within multiple regional, State, and Federal Parks--as well as within numerous open space preserves. The Ancestors of the Amah Mutsun faced one of the most complete genocides in human history, with their population reduced by 98% between the late 1700's CE and CE 1900. Today, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is one of the largest organizations of Ohlone Peoples. However, the Tribe faces particular challenges that are often not adequately addressed by our current political-economic system.

Topics covered at these presentations will include:
--The Indigenous history of the region.
--The effects of colonialism in the region (including organized genocide, slavery, the forced removal of children, and legalized discrimination).
--Socio-economic issues currently effecting Tribal Members.
--The efforts to remove the whitewashing of Mission-era history (including rewriting school textbooks and removing El Camino Real monuments)
--The efforts to protect the thousands of Indigenous burial, cultural, and sacred sites found throughout the region.
--The Amah Mutsun Land Trust (which has entered agreements with various agencies to help steward the ecology of Ancestral Lands, including the reintroduction of controlled 'cultural burns' to prevent catastrophic wildfires)
--The ongoing efforts to protect the most sacred Amah Mutsun ceremonial site--Juristac.

The effort to Protect Juristac in particular is a paramount issue for the Tribe. The boundaries of Juristac stretch across the boundaries of the present-day Counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey. An incredibly culturally significant and ecologically critical portion of Juristac located within Santa Clara County is currently being threatened by a proposed open-pit mine. This situation has been dubbed by the media as 'Silicon Valley's Version of Standing Rock'. Numerous organizations and municipalities have passed resolutions supporting the Tribe's efforts to Protect Juristac. More information on Juristac can be found at http://www.protectjuristac.org.

We hope to see you or your compatriots at this important event!