Cultural Survival's community includes people from all walks of life, with beautiful stories to tell of your own about why you decided to become an advocate for Indigenous Peoples' rights. Sharing these stories further connects our community, provides much-needed solidarity and validation to our staff and partners on the ground, and helps us inspire others to join our movement. We are excited to spotlight members and former interns of our community and highlight your contributions and perspectives through our Cultural Survival Spotlight series. 

By Press Release by Native American Rights Fund

(WASHINGTON D.C., 2/2/2025)—A coalition of Tribal organizations, representing Tribal Nations and their citizens and communities, is calling on the Administration to ensure that recent executive actions do not undermine the unique sovereign political status of Tribal Nations as sovereign nations with which the federal government has trust and treaty obligations, or disrupt federal funding that flows from those relationships for essential Tribal programs.

Cultural Survival strongly condemns the violent attack on Indigenous students and Indigenous Peoples’ rights activists’ protests on January 15, 2025, against the removal of the term "Adivasi" (Indigenous in Bangla) from school textbooks in Bangladesh.

Come learn about international human rights mechanisms, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and how they can aid in your advocacy efforts and put pressure on the U.S. government, both locally and nationally, to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights. 

We invite Tribal members and community advocates in preparation for the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Third Universal Periodic Review of the United States in November 2025.

By Maya Chipana Lazzaro (Quechua, CS Staff)

World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture (WDAAC) is celebrated annually on January 24 to recognize and honor the contributions of African and Afrodescendant communities worldwide. Established by UNESCO in 2019, this day emphasizes the revival of African cultural heritage, the celebration of artistic creativity, and solidarity among African and Afrodescendant peoples globally.

By John McPhaul

Faced with President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations, two Miskitu Indigenous leaders are part of a Nicaraguan delegation asking the United States government to let Nicaraguans who are in the U.S. in exile stay with an extension of Temporary Protection Status  (TPS) due to the human rights abuses meted out by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murrillo.
 

By Xiting Tong (CS Intern)

“Resisting the ‘avalanche’-like encroachment of the lithium mining industry is not only a collective fight in the community, but most importantly, it is a fight in one’s own heart and mind,” says one of the participants of the agricultural projects in Girau.