Brookings, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Campus invites the community to join us on Thursday, October 9, 2025, 1:00 pm-2:00pm for: Northwest American Indian Coalition.
This is a free program sponsored by the Friends of Curry Campus and will be held in the Community Room on Southwestern’s Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway (off Highway 101), Brookings. Bring a friend.
Katrina Thompson-Upton of Brookings, Oregon, is the presenter for October. She is an enrolled Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation citizen. Thompson-Upton is one of six recipients of the 2025 Community Storytelling Fellowship, which supports nonfiction storytellers who belong to communities that are underrepresented in Oregon media. The Storytelling Fellowship program is made possible through support from the Ford Family Foundation.
As the guest presenter for October, Thompson-Upton will offer a brief history of the Northwest American Indian tribes and describe the work of the Native American Indian Coalition (NAIC), which she leads. The Northwest American Indian Coalition (NAIC) is a Native-led and inter-tribal 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based on the ancestral homelands of the Southern Oregon Coast.
NAIC operates multiple interconnected initiatives such as tribal history, public education, environmental advocacy, disaster preparedness, community wellness and supports language preservation.
One initiative drew financial support from the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts for ongoing efforts in Indigenous-led land stewardship, cultural restoration and youth engagement. One key goal of this initiative is the establishment of a native food garden plot and facilitation of seed collection and harvest activities. These efforts have become part of a youth education curriculum with hands-on experience in sustainable food systems.
Another initiative is systematically tracking the health of water sources in Curry County and is supported by the Charlotte Martin Foundation. These water sources play an essential role in maintaining the biodiversity and ecological balance of forests in Curry County.
Northwest American Indian Coalition is not only about preserving the past but also about creating a better future for all Dee-ni people, their descendants, and the broader community.
Come explore the history of indigenous people here on the south coast and their focus on resilient, healthy, and connected Indigenous communities.
Stay tuned for upcoming talks in the Friends of Curry Campus Speaker Series. For more information contact the Curry Campus at 541-813-1667.
