Community Defense
Since the inception of Pueblo Action Alliance in 2016, we have been a grassroots community driven organization that addresses environmental and social justice impacts of Pueblo and Indigenous communities. The pandemic brought forth immense hardships and challenges to our community members in urban and rural areas. Our mutual aid efforts through this time has been rooted in Pueblo Communal core values. We have witnessed the needs of communities change throughout the waves of the pandemic as we have experienced profound loss across our communities.
Through each transition, we have been intentional in our efforts while listening to the needs of our relatives. It has brought forth insight for us to envision and create sustainable solutions with community defense efforts that aren't limited solely to mutual aid.
PAA defines Community Defense as “a reflection of how Pueblo people protect, preserve and fight for our existence. Community Defense is our birthright to organize our people to defend our lands, people, water, air, plants and animals. We are the descendants of 1680 revolutionaries who built the foundation for Community Defense for 340 years and we continue that responsibility today.”
We are invested in empowering our people through educational spaces to share what community defense means to us and what it can look like within our communities. Stay tuned for more to come!
#CommunityDefense #CollectiveCommunityCare #SouthernTiwaTerritory #WaterBack #LandBack #FoodSovereignty #ProtectingLifeways
Community Defense
Pueblo Action Alliance held an Indigenous Community Defense workshop at the 2020 Uplift Digital Convergence! Hear from PAA members as they initiate the conversation on what it means to organize under the basis of Community Defense.
Pueblo people have been able to retain a sense of unity when it comes to protecting our lands, water, people, plants and animals. We will share other examples of what indigenous community defense looks like across our Earth Mother and invite the audience to reflect on how we are able to organize our communities.
Our people are innovative and have the imagination to create systems that work for us.
- Julia Bernal (Sandia Pueblo)
Community Care is Community Defense
Phase I
Phase I: Immediate need to protect our people with masks and other PPE needs. Materials were sent out to Mask Warriors who sewed masks to help protect community members. This is also when we put a community call for donations of masks and provided two Community Distributions in Tiwa and Tewa Territory.
Phase II
Phase II, which is protection and care for unsheltered relatives. The global crisis has also disproportionately affected them with the closure of shelters. This has resulted in a rise of limited access to basic health and hygiene needs; leaving many of our already displaced peoples with little to no resources.
Phase III
Phase III, where care packages have been collected to go to different healthcare facilities as well as continued unsheltered relatives mutual aid efforts.
Meet the PAA Moms!
Alice Bernal (Yuchi and Sandia Pueblo)
Mary Toledo (Jemez Pueblo)
Helping to protect our Tribal Communities. We are extremely grateful that they support the work we are doing. Each of them have hand sewed masks to donate to Pueblo and Diné Communities! #CommunityDefense
“Community Defense means protecting Indigenous communities from further western colonization. It's vital because our cultural lifeways are sacred and need to be preserved for the next generation. As a PAA Youth organizer this is a way to empower Youth to protect their identity, mental and spiritual wellness.” — Jaelyn Littlebear