Puwanini Tsawa; Blue Butterfly
Ts’an T’en Po’a’a; New Winters Journey
Elmirah is a young woman from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, New Mexico, who joined I Am Why as a consultant in February 2022. Becoming a single mother at 19, she discovered gaps in the young-parent community. Struggling with injustices that impacted her and her son, she felt compelled to assist young families where they needed it the most. She partnered in policy and advocacy work with National Crittenton and a group of young parents that were also passionate about creating change for young families. She co-founded Project IMPACT and is the New Mexico IMPACT HUB Coordinator. While developing this brand, she found incredible bonds and a passion for helping people. She hopes to promote change for young families nationwide and bring representation for Indigenous communities forward.
While growing up on the reservation, a strong single mother raised Elmirah with the importance of their tribe’s heritage. Elmirah hopes to bring back knowledge, change and creativity into the community that put her on the path of being an Indigenous leader. Her education consists of being a second-generation graduate of high school and college. She has obtained an Associate of Science in Health Administration Services and is attending Colorado Technical University for a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in project management. Hoping to pass down the values her mother passed down, she gets the drive and passion for continuing her dreams because of her children.
During the spring of 2019, Justice & Joy National Collaborative organized a conference called In Solidarity, which gathered young women, gender-expansive youth, and organizers. This would be the first time a single mother traveled alone with her firstborn...
In honor of National Mentoring Month and the release of I Am Why’s white paper on our mentorship model, I want to share my experience and growth in different mentorship roles at I Am Why. During October of 2022, I was granted the wonderful opportunity to co-lead the I...
How does Reproductive Justice affect your life? Being born female means being the first-born daughter, granddaughter, niece, and great-granddaughter of my family. This has always meant I should achieve the most because it was expected that I would grow up while...
A controversial issue in my hometown of Espanola, New Mexico, has been the dark side of New Mexican history, specifically the Spanish conquest of the Indigenous communities that were long established. The man who led it was a Spanish conquistador named Juan De Onate....
What does my current work as an I Am Why consultant look like? I participate in the Motherhood Support Group and am a member of the Speak On Us and Self Advocacy Learning Pods while co-leading the Embracing Creative Freedom Pod. In these spaces, I’ve developed my...
In honor of Indigenous Heritage Month Trusting one another, Respecting what is being shared, A teaching moment, Direct from ancestors that were forced Into institutions, That created friction and diminished our cultures. Initiating our heritage and being Open to...
Part 1: Modern day genocide, they are doing this all over again to us. ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) helps us fight to preserve the connection between a child and his or her tribe. If it is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the children stand to lose so much...
