AICD Homepage as Source Page for this Entire Post: https://americanindianculturaldistrict.org/
American Indian Cultural Hub
AICD is a cultural hub that serves the broader American Indian community throughout the SF Bay Area. Our Cultural District corridor is located in an area that holds historical and cultural significance to the American Indian community. This includes a unique concentration of historical events, cultural resources, Native American-based programming, services, and gathering spaces that are historically and presently important to the American Indian community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
On 12/15/20 we expanded our Cultural District boundaries to include Mission Dolores Park. Dolores Park is associated with known Ramaytush Ohlone village sites and is also a major part of the painful history for our California Native American relatives that suffered through the mission era. Find the latest updates here: https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/bag121520_agenda.pdf
AICD Indigenize Project
The citywide Indigenize Project is a placemaking and placekeeping initiative that focuses on honoring and celebrating American Indian culture, history, people, and contributions through art, pole banners, street signs, a genocide mapping project, and QR digital walking tours. This ongoing project is intended to create an interactive experience that will confront systematic erasure and expand the rich cultural heritage of San Francisco by increasing public awareness and elevating the visibility of local Native American culture and history through an Indigenous lens.
Branching out from our home base in the American Indian Cultural District, the Indigenize Project maps out works of art and educational destinations throughout the City creating a cultural trail for residents and visitors to learn and experience American Indian culture and history through the voice of the people. The Ramaytush Ohlone of the Bay Area, and greater intertribal American Indian population are not a people of the past, but an integral and active community in San Francisco.
AICD Vision
We are on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land.
Our Purpose
To ensure American Indian culture, history, and contributions are recognized and celebrated.
Our Vision
We serve the greater American Indian community by utilizing placemaking and placekeeping initiatives to preserve and celebrate our unique cultures. We act as a collective to strengthen our voices, increase our visibility, advocate and create community-strengthening policies aimed at equitable resource access, funding, and opportunities for American Indian people in San Francisco.
The American Indian Cultural District supports our local businesses, organizations, vendors, and community members through activations and initiatives to help stabilize the local economy. We believe that culturally-relevant and culturally-competent initiatives are created and enacted by American Indians for American Indians.
About AICD
Founded on March 31st, 2020, the American Indian Cultural District (AICD) is the first established Cultural District of its size in the United States dedicated to recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the American Indian legacy, culture, people, and contributions.
AICD is located on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land in what is now known as the Mission Neighborhood in an area that holds a unique concentration of historical events, cultural resources, and American Indian based organizations, programming, services, and gathering spaces that are historically and presently important to the American Indian community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Our American Indian Cultural District Hub office is located near Alcatraz along the water at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. The American Indian Cultural District Hub space serves as a collective working hub for multiple San Francisco based American Indian organizations. AICD will have a future office space in the heart of the Cultural District at The Village SF, a social services and spiritual center which will be located at 80 Julian Avenue.
The Cultural District is made up of four staff, two interns, two Community Ambassadors, the AICD Advisory Board, and the AICD Youth Council. The Advisory Boards consist of local American Indian service organizations, American Indian businesses, tribal leadership, elders, youth, and a wide range of community representation including elders, youth, two spirit, artists, and cultural bearers.
Overall we seek to empower the urban American Indian community and work to heal centuries of systemic oppression and racism so we can secure the tools and resources we need to be able to serve our own people.
Cultural District Timeline
11/30/2020: San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously motioned to support an expansion of the American Indian Cultural District boundaries from 18th Street to 20th Street to include Mission Dolores Park. The final expansion vote will take place on December 8, 2020. For more information see Agenda Item 2.
11/4/2020: San Francisco Historic Preservation Committee voted unanimously to expand the American Indian Cultural District’s boundaries to the original boundaries agreed on by Supervisor Ronen & Mandelman in March of 2020. For more information see the Supporting Documents.
03/21/2020: San Francisco Board Of Supervisors unanimously pass the first American Indian Cultural District in California. For more information see the agenda and watch here. The discussion starts at 12:00.
02/27/2020: Supervisor Ronen introduces the American Indian Cultural District (AICD) Ordinance to the San Francisco Board Of Supervisors.
12/18/2019: Office of Historic Preservation voted on the American Indian Cultural District Ordinance.
11/13/2019: Mayor London Breed announced the American Indian Cultural District at the Annual American Indian Cultural Center Native American Heritage Night Celebration.
6/1/2019: American Indian Cultural Center (AICC) staff and local American Indian community leaders began working with the American Indian community and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) to establish the American Indian Cultural District (AICD).
4/7/2019: Elder Mary Jean Robinson started a mapping project to identify areas of significance to our community in San Francisco.