Towards Becoming an Anti-Racist Organization: Envisioning What We Want it To Be Like Again

The Trees affect everything, they create the climate. The loss of old growth forest from the mountain tops throughout the Puget Sound is a loss we can’t comprehend because we have never seen what it was like. We can only envision what we want it to be like again.

– Terry Williams, Commissioner, Fisheries and Natural Resources, Tulalip Tribes

We were also honored to be joined by Mel Sheldon, Jr., a member of the Tulalip Tribes and former member and chair of the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors. Mel gave us an inside look at some aspects of current tribal cultures, how different tribes work together to build a future for themselves and our region, and how we can support them.

One thing that showed through in every exhibit, no matter the subject matter, was their sense of connection to the natural world and their expressed intention to act in harmony with their surroundings—that is, other people, other species, the land, the water, the air, and the ecological system as a whole.

The Goosefoot group was reminded how vital it is for all of us to choose to work towards the good of the commons. We talked about how we can improve all of our lives if we listen more closely, and learn from the wisdom of our elders and the natural world around us to make things better. We as white people will never fully comprehend what we have lost through the decimation of these tribal cultures. But what we can do is to focus on what we would like our world to be like. In partnership and conversation with those whose ancestors lived on this land before us, we can work with more intention every day to make that vision a reality.

The Hibulb Cultural Center is located at 6410 23rd Ave NE, Tulalip, and is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and Saturdays & Sundays noon to 5 PM.