NASPA Power and Place Symposium

Jordan Clark

Associate Director and Acting Executive Director, Harvard University Native American Program
Tribal Affiliation: Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah

Dr. Claudia A. Fox Tree 

Dr. Claudia A. Fox Tree (she/ her/ hers) is a multiracial/ multicultural professional educator and social justice activist who facilitates courses and workshops on diversity, equity, and social justice. She identifies as German and Arawak, and she is a member of the Guainia tribe. Claudia decolonizes equity conversations by highlighting implicit bias and centering Indigenous history, culture, resistance, and contributions. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Lesley University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Northeastern University, both on Pawtucket and Massa-adchu-es-et territory.

Through her workshops and keynote addresses, Claudia challenges participants to unlearn colonial narratives and consider Indigenous perspectives on environmental stewardship, systemic racism, and cultural resilience. As an advocate for Indigenous representation, Claudia highlights the importance of recognizing Native peoples in history and as thriving, present-day communities. She works to combat the erasure of Indigenous voices in education, media, and public discourse by emphasizing their continued contributions and lived experiences.

Decolonizing Indigenous Invisibility

Decolonizing is about amplifying Native American voices, integrating essential yet often overlooked knowledge, and reshaping dominant narratives. This presentation includes a hands-on activity to foster connections to the land and its people, highlighting how Indigenous knowledge and achievements have influenced language, history, industrialization, and global cultures.

This session will provide an overview of local tribal and Native community partnerships through the Institute for New England Native American Studies at UMass Boston. In addition to reflecting on the partnership work with INENAS, participants will be guided through a workshop on the R's of tribal community-university partnerships to apply in their community context. 

Larry Spotted Crow Mann

Award-Winning Author, Playwright, Musician, Cultural Educator, Storyteller
Citizen of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Tribe of Massachusetts

Larry Spotted Crow Mann is a multi-talented Indigenous artist with a career that spans over three decades. In 2021, Mann was the first recipient of the Indigenous Peoples Award from the NAACP in Massachusetts for his lifetime commitment to social justice and sharing the culture and music of his Tribe.

Educating, sharing and being a voice for social change has been at the heart of his journey. His work and passion have been fueled by many of the painful experiences he has endured growing up as a Native child in an urban environment. Interwoven in his story is how he overcame addiction at the age of 21. Many of his early teachings came from his grandfather, who helped him on the path to healing. Mann’s music, traditional stories and books are always accompanied by important history and the living presence of Indigenous people today.