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Demetrius Johnson (Diné) is a #LandBack Organizer at Rapid City, South Dakota-based nonprofit NDN Collective. Originally from Tółaní, Ganado, Arizona, Johnson began community organizing shortly after being elected President of Kiva Club around the disastrous Gold King Mine spill that affected his people in 2015. He is also a long-standing lead organizer for The Red Nation, a coalition of Native and non-Native activists, educators, students, and community organizers based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, advocating Native liberation. Johnson has been part of many campaigns advocating for the liberation of Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, and working class people. Cultural Survival's Indigenous Rights Radio Coordinator, Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan), recently spoke with Johnson about his work on NDN Collective's #LandBack Campaign.

Demetrius Johnson (Diné)

Cultural Survival: Please tell us about your work at NDN Collective.

Demetrius Johnson: I work for the #LandBack campaign. There's currently three of us within the #LandBack campaign: me; Nadya Tannous, a Palestinian woman and the other organizer; and our Director, Krystal Two Bulls (Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota). The #LandBack campaign is one of the many campaigns within NDN Collective, a Native-led nonprofit organization in the United States. The work branches from our philanthropic arm, which gives millions of dollars back into our communities: 87 percent of our funding that we receive from donors is brand new money, which means that the money that we receive isn't being taken from money other Native organizations receive. This is all brand new money that's getting funneled into Native communities and organizations. We also have our actions arm, which is where the #LandBack campaign lives, along with the climate justice campaign, education equity, and racial equity. Within the philanthropic arm we have our lending arm for Tribes that typically can't get loans from banks or federal funds or for big projects they need to do on their reservations, for example, renewable energy or housing projects or agriculture. That's where NDN Collective comes in, so that Tribes don't have to lean on white-led nonprofits.

NDN Collective is really unique. It has only been around for four years, but it's very powerful. NDN Collective serves as a place where Indigenous people doing the work can actually work on defending the land, protecting their communities, and creating solutions without having to worry so much about the expenses, because NDN Collective is able to fund those projects and initiatives through our many grant opportunities and sponsorships.

On July 4, 2021, Indigenous climbers from 10 different Nations from Turtle Island and Palestine were arrested for confronting the legacy of white supremacy. Climbers ascended the 100- foot Dakota Mills Grain silo situated on Lakota lands in downtown Rapid City, South Dakota and mounted the LANDBACK flag. Photo courtesy of NDN Collective.

CS: What is the #LandBack campaign?
DJ: The #LandBack campaign is only two years old, but the movement for #LandBack began since colonizers came to this place. We're only continuing the work that our ancestors have done before us. Our campaign's cornerstone work on He Sapa (the Black Hills) starts with the Fort Laramie Treaty. The Black Hills are the Lakota Peoples' sacred site, and they have every right to protect that place. Donald Trump came to visit on July 4, 2020, Independence Day here in the United States. Many Native people who call that place home were arrested, tear gassed, or pepper sprayed. Even our [President and CEO] Nick Tilsen (Oglala Lakota), and Krystal were arrested. That's actually where the #LandBack campaign was born. The #LandBack campaign is reclaiming the Black Hills because that's the heart of everything that is. That is their emergence point and sacred place. By returning the land, it allows us to return to our language, our culture, our spirituality, our kinship systems . . . everything.

There's a lot of momentum for the term "land back." I was told by First Nations people in Canada that it was an auntie that started using land back when she was talking to the Canadian government [in the late '90s], and First Nations young people [later] popularized the term through social media. We don't claim to own that phrase, but we do work around that framing. When doing this work we don't just do it without guidance, individually. We come back to our communities, we talk with people, Elders, youth, to make sure that we're coming correct to this work.

CS: What are some of the strategies that you have used? What successes have you had?

DJ: I started working for this campaign just a little bit over a year ago. My coworker Nadya, the other #LandBack organizer, got hired the week of July 4. We went to Rapid City, which is where the Black Hills are, where Mount Rushmore is, and [where] we did the action. Nadya and Krystal were two of the four climbers that ended up on the grain silo in the middle of Rapid City. On the 4th of July, everyone's wanting to see fireworks. There are statues of every president of the United States. People come in from all over the country just to be there. And we climb up this grain silo and they do the #LandBack flag drop. Nadya and Krystal were a part of that in a very powerful moment and that galvanized a lot of people. It also let our people know we are here continuing the work of resistance and we want our land back. That was also in conjunction with raising awareness on the children that were sent to boarding schools during the boarding school era and finding all their bodies around those schools. It was very powerful. We definitely blew the candles out on their 4th of July.

Since then, we launched #LandBack University, which is our online platform for people learning about the work on the front lines, people doing actual #LandBack work and expanding that conversation. The first session that we ever did was on cultural burning, how Native people manage fire and actually use fire to prevent wildfires. Native people had the knowledge back then to understand there are certain things that you had to control though cultural burning. We have done modules on Black Indigeneity, contemporary land struggles in Hawai'i and Palestine, and now one on militarism and imperialism in our communities.

We did a billboard campaign all across the country. We brought in a bunch of Native artists and they designed billboards and we put them all over Turtle Island. You can see them on #Landback Art on Instagram. There's also an amazing documentary that was recently released called "Lakota Nation vs. The United States." Krystal was featured in that. It talks about the Black Hills and the struggle to reclaim that land. Now we're working on a database for people to access, showing #LandBack victories in the context of Turtle Island from the last 10 years. And we're hoping to expand. It's up to 2010 now, but we are going back even further. I feel like it's always talked about how much land was stolen from us, but how much land are we reclaiming? We're hoping that it will be released at the end of this year.

CS: How can people get involved in the #LandBack movement?

DJ: Talk with your communities, your people, Elders, youth- the community you're trying to get land back for. That should always be the first priority. That should be who you're accountable to. We're not the leaders of this movement. The movement is with the people, and we are a part of the movement. Indigenous Peoples are the leaders of this movement. All we do is just put a framework around what land back is. So if you want to get involved in getting land back to your people, talk with your people first.

Just listen to Indigenous Peoples. We have the solutions. I was told a long time ago, what happens to the land happens to the people. You can see what's happening now: what happens to the people happens to the land. We're slowly coming back. We need to come back in order to save this world, and #LandBack is the solution.
To learn more about NDN Collective's #LandBack campaign and #LandBack University, visit: landback.org and landback.org/u. Top photo: Indigenous Land Defenders blocking the road to Mount Rushmore to defend sacred lands in the Black Hills on July 3, 2020. Photo by Willi White, NDN Collective.

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Demetrius Johnson (Diné) is a #LandBack Organizer at Rapid City, South Dakota-based nonprofit NDN Collective. Originally from Tółaní, Ganado, Arizona, Johnson began community organizing shortly after being elected President of Kiva Club around the disastrous Gold King Mine spill that affected his people in 2015.

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This includes MH and DV Resources in English

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SVP Resources for Providers - English_202312221243063215

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CR Mental Health Resources Info Sheet 2022

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Here is a resourdce for those who are interested in becoming an instructor.

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Information about becoming a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid USA.

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On-Campus Resources

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Your journey at College of the Redwoods is more than just textbooks and assignments. It’s a chance to uncover hidden talents, create lifelong friendships, and forge the path that’s right for you. We believe in you, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.

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CARE (Crisis Alternative Response Eureka)

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CARE (Crisis Alternative Response Eureka)

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CARE- Lead Clinicians number is located towards the bottom

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Crisis Alternative Response Eureka | Eureka, CA

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Crisis Alternative Response Eureka, or CARE, seeks to respond appropriately to mental health crises within the community using licensed mental health professionals in partnership with UPLIFT and Eureka Police Department

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McKinleyville Family Resource Center - 1615 Heartwood Drive, McKinleyville

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McKinleyville Family Resource Center - serving families throughout Northern Humboldt County.

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Ka'm-t'em: A Journey Toward Healing

Dr. Kishan Lara-Cooper & Walter J. Lara Sr.

"Throughout the book there is a beautiful poetry of resistance and renewal that rings in each essay, echoing a renaissance of hope and transformation" - Michael Yellowbird (Fargo, North Dakota)

K'am-te'm: A Journey toward Healing, co-edited by Dr. Kishan Lara-Cooper and Walter Lara Sr., incorporates the testimonials of 26 California Indigenous leaders of all ages and backgrounds. Ka'm-t'em translates in the Yurok language as a basket that holds the treasures of Indigenous people. As such, this book shares unique concepts of balance and harmony with the human, natural, and spiritual elements of the world.

This book presents Indigenous testimonials of resistance, renewal, advocacy, resilience, beauty, and awakening. For example, a lead plaintiff in Lyng v. NICPA, a case that went to the Supreme Court, shares in-depth Indigenous knowledge and "behind the scenes" influences of the case; a fluent Tolowa speaker describes the impact of colonial education on language loss and his personal journey as a first-language English speaker learning to speak his heritage language; and a regalia maker describes the impact of genocide on communal relationships, the natural environment, and Indigenous spirituality, while relating the journey of reclaiming Indigenous identity through the process of regalia-making. In the sharing and in the listening of Indigenous testimonials, we are reminded of the beauty and the strength within us. The precious knowledge shared in this book inspires reclamation of identity and encourages readers to seek, search, embrace, and value their own truth.

All of the royalties from this book will be forwarded to the Ka'm-t'em scholarship for Indigenous California youth.

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Ka'm-t'em: A Journey Toward Healing | Ka'm-t'em Indigenous Knowledge

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Just as the woven basket was made to share knowledge, one purpose of this book is to expose you, the reader, to Indigenous knowledge, the journey to protect it, and the healing that occurs through transmitting it to younger generations.

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Mapping

We strive to map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages across the world in a way that goes beyond colonial ways of thinking in order to better represent how Indigenous people want to see themselves.

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Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.

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Wiyot people have long lived around Wigi, or Humboldt Bay. This place was and still is, the center of their culture. For thousands of years, native people enjoyed the abundant and varied resources surrounding the bay. The Wiyot territory extends from Plhut Gasamuli (Little River) to Raski-yuwit (Bear River Ridge) and as far east as the prairies of Kneeland. Not long ago, Wiyot people used the dunes of the north and south spits to gather and hunt for what they needed in their daily lives, such as surf fish and various berries that were dried in the sun. Women would gather food and prepare weaving materials while the men would fish and make new tools to replace old ones.

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You can check out any other trainings that are free or low cost. Agencies are also able to book this for their workers. Some are virtual and some are in person.

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Trainings and Education | Humboldt County, CA - Official Website

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Suicide prevention and intervention trainings are offered to those working with at-risk populations and for all members of the community.

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0 to 8 Mental Health Collaborative | Organizations collaborating to develop a transdisciplinary responsive system capable of supporting the mental wellness of all expectant parents, young children and their families within the context of their communities.

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Trainings and Education | Humboldt County, CA - Official Website

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Suicide prevention and intervention trainings are offered to those working with at-risk populations and for all members of the community.

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You will find additional family resource centers in the area.

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Our Mission: Through collaboration, mutual support and respect, our family strengthening network improves child, family and community health and well-being.

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Live Well Humboldt: Exploring Humboldt Data

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Live Well Humboldt: Exploring Humboldt Data

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You can find specific data based on a variety of different factors here.

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Carousel with 4 slides shown one at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the tab buttons at the end to jump to specific slides. Tabbing to a control or slide will pause the carousel.

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A variety of different assistances from intake forms to housing applications.

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Information about the Uplift Eureka Community Resource Center

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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

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The Humboldt Community Emergency Response Team Coalition (located in Northern California) is an information center for regional disaster preparedness training, news, and workshops. We offer educators, individuals, neighborhood groups, and social groups a means of strengthening themselves and their communities to be more disaster-resilient.

Here's how you can help:

It's time to get ready!

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Humboldt CERT Coalition | NorCal's Community Emergency Response Teams

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The Humboldt Community Emergency Response Team Coalition (located in Northern California) is an information center for regional disaster preparedness training, news, and workshops. We offer educators, individuals, neighborhood groups, and social groups a means of strengthening themselves and their communities to be more disaster-resilient. Here's how you can help: It's time to get ready!

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Queer Humboldt is an anti-racist, anti-settler-colonialist resource center, serving 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals and groups in Humboldt County and local Indigenous Lands through community education, mental health services, micro- grants/mutual aid, the North Coast Two-Spirit Project, networking and

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) - Transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses

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The Division of Intramural Research Programs (IRP) is the internal research division of the NIMH. Over 40 research groups conduct basic neuroscience research and clinical investigations of mental illnesses, brain function, and behavior at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Learn more about research conducted at NIMH.

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Flyer - CAPCC Roundtable - May 2026 - Save the Date (English)

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This link will lead you to the pantries that are open along with dates, times and locations.

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Looking for food distributions? Find Food for People’s monthly distribution schedule here.

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Días, hora y localización de dispensas en el condado.

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Looking for food distributions? Find Food for People’s monthly distribution schedule here.