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Homicides dropped after Philly gangs signed a 1974 peace pact. What can we learn from the org that brokered the truce?

Layla A. Jones

December 14, 2020 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The House of Umoja in West Philadelphia, created in the late 1960s in response to high rates of gang violence, succeeded in helping thousands of young men through a residential treatment program, mediating disputes peacefully, and brokering a gang truce credited with lowering Philadelphia violence in the 1970s. The program was based on Afrocentric customs and family structure (its name means unity in Swahili). The grandson of the founders is now trying to revive the home as part of the city's multiple anti-violence initiatives.

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Fighting COVID-19 with Ancestral Wisdom in the Amazon

Jordin Rocchi, Lorena Alvarado

December 11, 2020 |

The New Yorker |

Documentary |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Siekopai, Ecuador

The Siekopai people have used plants and herbal remedies to treat diseases for years. As the COVID-19 pandemic entered their community, they turned to the ancient medicine of their ancestors to help combat symptoms of the virus and boost the immune system.

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How Canada's first Indigenous coast guard program is already saving lives

Matt Simmons

December 10, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: First Nations of British Columbia, Canada, British Columbia

The Canadian Coast Guard is building a working relationship with indigenous communities that live on the coast of British Columbia, in order to better coordinate rescue efforts. The indigenous tribes "have intimate knowledge of the geography, which allows them to expertly respond to emergencies on the water." The result has been the formation of the Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary.

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How a program to support Latino caregivers may have discovered a new wave of patients

Natalia Rodríguez Medina

December 07, 2020 |

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago-based Latino Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders Alliance (LAMDA) has helped connect "Latinos who have memory diseases with clinical support" by focusing on creating connections and using memory-health surveys. The program relies on bicultural community health promoters who are embedded within the community and visit places such as health fairs, nursing home lobbies and churches to offer resources and "conduct memory tests and evaluations on at-risk elders."

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How To Feed The World Without Destroying It

Debbie Weingarten

December 01, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Virginia

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of the U.S. food supply chain, yet for indigenous led-operations there has been little interruption thanks to practices that rely on shorter supply chains that "work with local ecosystems, not against them." In Virginia, one farmer is using the lessons from this traditional knowledge to create a small-scale farming collective.

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The Casino That Farms Its Own Food

Hannah Wallace

November 26, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Quapaw, Oklahoma

The Quapaw tribe runs the Downstream Casino Resort in Oklahoma where they combine Indigenous food and farming knowledge with modern hotel operations. They have seven greenhouses and two gardens with 20 varieties of vegetables and herbs that cultivate about 6,000 pounds of food per year for the hotel and casino. They also have their own meat packing and processing plant, coffee roasting program, brewery, and farmers market. By creating a system of locally sourced and sustainably raised food, the Quapaw are reclaiming their land and food sovereignty.

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This sacred bean saved an indigenous clan from climate calamity

Agostino Petroni

November 25, 2020 |

National Geographic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Manaure

A community gardening project growing the guajiro bean has allowed Wayuu farmers in the Colombian desert to achieve food security despite the effects of climate change and external pressures. While scaling this agricultural success to other Indigenous clans can be difficult, using a low-tech irrigation system and red earthworm compost has allowed one settlement to feed its community and make their soil fertile again.

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An ancient people with a modern climate plan

Jim Morrison, Jovelle Tamayo

November 24, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Swinomish Reservation, United States, Fidalgo Island, Washington

The Swinomish tribe in Washington state is combining traditional knowledge and science to combat the effects of climate change and improve the health of its land, water, and people. In recent years, their salmon harvest has diminished due to warming waters, but they’ve instituted salmon recovery efforts by restoring tidelands and channels and planting trees along stream beds to cool the waters. Their focus on ecosystem and community health could be a model for other Indigenous tribes looking to create their own climate plans.

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A New Native Seed Cooperative Aims to Rebuild Indigenous Foodways

Ray Levy Uyeda

November 10, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, United States, New York

The Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance organized a seed drive to distribute thousands of seeds to 270 different tribes. The indigenous seed exchange led to the creation of an intertribal cooperative to share traditional knowledge and practices as well. It has conducted a seed census in addition to creating a seed sovereignty assessment toolkit for communities.

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The army of women saving India's storks

Neeta Lal

November 08, 2020 |

Al Jazeera |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Pub Majir Gaon, Assam

After a conservation biologist noticed that the number of birds in her Indian village dwindled over the years, she knew she had to take action. Purnima Devi Barman started to help educate her community about the historical significance and importance of the greater adjutant storks, and formed the “Hargila Army,” a volunteer crew of 400 women who help protect the birds. Thanks to their efforts over the last 13 years, they’ve been able to increase the endangered species’ numbers from just 27 in to more than 210.

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