FOR URBAN NATIVES BY URBAN NATIVES

Delilah is a Taino descendant who was born in the Bronx, NY. She has spent her life organizing, advocating, and mentoring for some of New York City's most underserved communities. This includes youth in foster care, the LGBTQ community, and the BI-POC community. Helping others was something Delilah had always been passionate about, but she started taking it more seriously after she placed herself into the foster care system at 15 years old. Being part of New York City's foster care system opened her eyes to the lack of available resources and opportunities for the young people around her. Who happened to identify as BI-POC and LGBTQ. She learned advocacy and organizing at The Center for environmental justice, food justice, and homeless youth during this time. Since then, Delilah has accumulated over 10 years of experience in the non-profit sector, working for organizations such as The Boys and Girls Club as an educator and at Good Shepherd Services, where she worked in development. Delilah's goal at UIC is to use her experience, knowledge, and community-building skills to uplift other urban natives in Lenape Hoking (NYC).

Delilah@urbanindigenouscollective.org

  Delfina Roybal is of Diné and Jewish descent. She grew up and currently resides on occupied Lenapehoking territory aka New York City. Delfina recently graduated from Borough of Manhattan Community College with a degree in liberal arts. During her time there she led the Pre Law Society where she worked with fellow students interested in pursuing various degrees in law and led weekly meetings centered on current political issues. She is hoping to continue her education in the fall and eventually pursue a degree in Federal Indian Law with a minor in Communications and Environmental Studies. Delfina is a water protector and land defender who uses social media and communications to help with fundraising, mutual aid, and support her community through organizing. She is also currently a communications intern at Water Protector Legal Collective, and has worked alongside other Indigenous led groups including Indigenous Peoples Day NYC to organize across the city. As an urban native who grew up isolated from her community she seeks to support others who struggle to find a place where they feel like they can be a part of a support system that is welcoming and holds space for healing and community. 

Delfina@urbanindigenouscollective.org

 Austin is a member of the Chicoran Shakori tribe of South Carolina. As part of the Great Migration of the 60s, some Shakori and other peoples of color walked away from sharecropping by migrating to the northeast “for the good union jobs”. Growing up as a Two-Spirit urban native in the Simsbury area of Hartford, Austin has found himself at powerful intersections between the forces of Technology and Globalization. During and after pursuing his degree in Technology and Globalization at NYU Gallatin, Austin continued to enhance his Product Design skills as the Chicoran Shakori Tribal Web Developer and the Lead Product Designer at Up2Code, ZED Aerospace, and Blue World Inc. While pursuing his degree at Gallatin, Austin worked for Apple at one of their HQ locations, and observed the structural changes presently roiling the global economy firsthand. Finding himself at another powerful global crossroads, Austin is currently focused on the intersections between Indigenous communities, Sustainability, and Product Design.

Austin@urbanindigenouscollective.org

In her role as an Indigenous Activist, Danielle has recently engaged with local Lenni Lenape Turtle Clan Tribal Council as a Tribal Administrator whose technical writing skills are employed for grant writing in conjunction with Tribal Initiatives. Danielle is actively seeking Intertribal Opportunities to Honor Intertribal Relations & greaten the Extent and Accessibility of Evidenced-based Practices, Knowledge, Skills, and Resources for all Indigenous Peoples.

Danielle  is honored to have a relationship with the Urban Indigenous Collective as MMIW Taskforce and has recently been considered for Grandmother’s Council for Every Child Matters. Danielle is also registered with the American Indian Movement. 

Danielle is looking forwards to her goals for this year including: MMIW Taskforce Development, Grandmother’s Council Participation, and the Missing and Murdered Unit build out stemming from the department of the Interior. Monitoring legislation such as Not Invisible Act, and Savannah’s Act, while championing for more accurate data collection on Indigenous People, and always in the spirit of Sovereignty,and good for the next seven generations. Danielle champions cultivation of Cultural Arts & Humanities, Social and Economic Development, and Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation(s) through a Seven Generation Prevention Project aimed to change the cultural circumstances of Tribal Members and  Communities through Intercultural discourse through Arts and Music, Storytelling, Performance and Theatrical Arts, Genealogy, Religion, and other topics as they pertain to Civic and National life of Native Americans in Lenapehoking.

Danielle@urbanindigenouscollective.org

Marianne Zhetot Kwe Almero is a first generation Potawatomi and Pilx MSW candidate at the Columbia School of Social Work. Marianne earned her Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, where she researched art-therapy as treatment for PTSD in collectivist societies. Since her graduation in 2019, Marianne has worked in the mental health field as a strong means of support for youth struggling with addiction, self-harm, trauma, suicide attempts and ideation, eating disorders, mood dysregulation, psychosis, and other challenges surrounding mental health. 

For the past year, Marianne has used these experiences in the field to support the Urban Native community in New York City by providing mental health counseling and advocacy services. With the understanding of the relationship between mental health and oppressive systems that marginalize Native communities, Marianne also engages in social justice advocacy to decolonize education institutions, climate justice, incarceration and police systems, and health accessibility. 

Marianne is spending her last year of graduate school as an intern with Urban Indigenous Collective, developing programming on MMIP, direct-care mental health services, and community health initiatives. On her free days, you can find Marianne participating in local social justice initiatives, supporting local drag artists, exploring new music, foraging, and spending time with her loved ones.

Hannah Throssell is an enrolled member of the Tohono O'odham Nation with a strong connection to her Diné heritage. As a bi-cultural Indigenous individual, she spent significant time on both reservations, but her formative years were predominantly within the Tohono O'odham Nation. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Arizona, where she engaged in Public Health Research in collaboration with Arizona Tribes. Following her undergraduate studies, she immersed herself in Community Health Work within Urban Indigenous populations, an experience that fueled her desire to teach before pursuing her MSW Program.  

Currently, she is enrolled in Columbia University's Master of Social Work Program.  

Beyond her academic pursuits, Hannah is deeply entrenched in community advocacy and activism. She has collaborated with numerous organizations to champion Indigenous rights and sovereignty, establishing herself as a potent advocate for those whose voices often go unheard. Through her diligent efforts, she endeavors to cultivate a world where Indigenous peoples are respected, empowered, and afforded the opportunity to thrive.  

Outside of her academic and professional commitments, you'll often find her embarking on adventures with her four-year old son.