Rain Content Strategist & Consultant Marlena Campbell moved from Los Angeles to Santa Fe, New Mexico, years ago, and she never looked back. There, she fell in love with the “Land of Enchantment” and the extraordinary history of the Native American populations who proudly inhabit New Mexico and the United States.
Marlena’s passion has led her to study the art and culture of the region’s Native American populations. Let’s face it; she is obsessed with learning everything she can about New Mexico’s native populations – ranging from the Ohkay Owingeh to the Conchiti, Tesque, and Pojoaque Pueblos to Santa Domingo/Kewa, Santa Ana, Acoma, and Zuni Pueblos. So, not surprisingly, she requested we Show Cause this November by supporting Native American advancement and causes.
Rain is proud to make donations to three important national organizations:
- Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA), an organization that has sought to protect Native American sovereignty for nearly a century, steering the US government away from its assimilation and allotment efforts and helping push important legislation forward, including the Indian Child Welfare and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
- American Indian College Fund, an organization that provides scholarships and support to American Indian students, so they can stay in school, obtain degrees, and have the proper tools to build satisfying careers.
- Native American Rights Fund (NARF), an organization with 50+ years of focus on protecting the rights of Native Americans by holding federal and state governments to their legal obligations, consulting policymakers and shaping legislation, and ensuring that American Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals have fair legal representation.
Thanksgiving is a time of good deeds, goodwill, and giving in action, which is why support for groups marginalized over our history on our official and National Day of Thanks is certainly a step toward a more tolerant and unified society. As Marlena has lamented, modern Thanksgiving celebrations have become far removed from the sad realities of early colonization and its devastating impact on Native American society and culture.
