arts & Cultural Programming

Indigenous Roots presents arts and cultural experiences that celebrate heritage, creativity, and community. From public festivals and celebrations like the Mexica and Lunar New Year to immersive visual and performing arts exhibitions, artist residencies, and educational workshops, our programs center culture bearers and professional artists. These initiatives preserve ancestral knowledge, foster cross-cultural understanding, and provide audiences of all ages with participatory opportunities to engage with rich traditions in ways that are meaningful, accessible, and economically supportive for the artists themselves.

Intergenerational Youth Engagement

Our youth programs cultivate leadership, professional skills, and cultural pride. Through Roots Café, youth operate a paid business, gaining hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, customer service, and cultural programming. The Interthrival Indigenous Youth Coalition empowers young people to self-organize and co-create initiatives, while our workforce development and leadership training provide structured mentorship, skill-building, and career pathways that equip Black, Brown, Indigenous, Native, and Asian youth to succeed personally, academically, and professionally.

Business & Artist Incubation

Indigenous Roots strengthens Black, Brown, Indigenous, Native, and Asian entrepreneurs and artists by providing tailored support, mentorship, and technical assistance. Our incubation programs offer shared workspace, access to resources, coaching, and professional guidance, helping emerging and mid-career creatives sustain their work. By fostering collaboration, reducing barriers, and building capacity, we ensure artists and entrepreneurs can transform talent and cultural knowledge into sustainable economic opportunity.

Community Support & Organizing

Through mutual aid programs, cultural advocacy, and cross-cultural exchange, including our work in Mataxhi, MX, Indigenous Roots builds resilient networks and strengthens community cohesion. These initiatives amplify community voices, protect cultural heritage, and create platforms for collective organizing and civic engagement, ensuring that Black, Brown, Indigenous, Native, and Asian communities have the tools, connections, and support to advocate for themselves and their communities. This can look like cultural advocacy, our work around the Cultural Corridor or providing spaces for food distributions and shot clinics.

Wellness & Healing

The Eagle & Condor Wellness Center provides culturally grounded, accessible wellness services for Black, Brown, Indigenous, Native, and Asian communities. By integrating traditional healing practices with contemporary wellness approaches, our programs support mental, physical, and spiritual health, including somatic therapies, cultural rituals, and wellness workshops that nurture individual and collective healing. Complementing this, the Eastside Farmers Market, started in 2025, promotes access to healthy, culturally relevant food while supporting local entrepreneurs, fostering community connection, and reinforcing both economic and cultural resilience in the neighborhood.

Culture Bearer Exchange Network

At the heart of Indigenous Roots’ mission is our work with Culture Bearers—artists, elders, and knowledge holders who preserve and transmit ancestral traditions, cultural practices, and creative expression. We prioritize honoring, highlighting, and compensating their expertise, ensuring that their labor and teachings are recognized as invaluable cultural and economic contributions. This commitment has positioned Indigenous Roots within a broad network of Culture Bearers locally, nationally, and internationally, and led us to administer the McKnight Foundation’s Culture Bearer Fellowship. Through this fellowship, we provide support, mentorship, and resources to Culture Bearers, amplifying their work while fostering cultural continuity, intergenerational learning, and community empowerment.