A few words from Monica V. Arellano, Vice Chairwoman for the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe

Hello,

Please Donate And Join Our Mission to help the San Francisco Bay Area's first people, members of the Muwekma-Ohlone Indian Tribe, to survive the devastating effects of income interruption due to COVID-19. All native communities have been hit hard, but due to the exceedingly expensive area which our homeland is in, the economic crisis that has gripped the nation has been particularly harsh for Muwekma.

With Native businesses closing permanently or shutting down temporarily to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, scholars estimate that there will be a $50 billion loss in economic activity in Native communities. And Muwekma-Ohlone has felt these effects as well.

In addition, Native Americans are three times as likely to have died from the virus in the US as white Americans, according to the APM Research Lab. Nationally, the death rate from Covid-19 among Native Americans equates to a staggering death rate of 847 per 100,000 residents.

To make matters worse, Muwekma-Ohlone is suffering through an arduous federal recognition process. More than 200 tribes do not have federal recognition, affecting tens of thousands of tribal members. The U.S. government officially recognizes 574 tribes. Over the past two years, unemployment spiked in the San Francisco Bay Area, but Muwekma-Ohlone's has not been able to access federal opportunities available through to help Muwekma-Ohlone members. The CDC Covid-19 Funding for Tribes, the CARES Act Corona Virus Relief Fund, and the American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Biden are all inaccessible.

Your tax-deductible gift makes our work possible, and every gift matters.

Thank you.