Health + Housing Sovereignty Coalition
Guided by community, rooted in healing, building our way home.
Sovereignty Rises stewards a coalition to advance health and housing sovereignty for Native and underserved communities. These two pillars of sovereignty—health and housing—are deeply interconnected. When our communities lead the way in restoring dignity, compassion and harmony, we move toward a future of true self-determination.
Coalition Members
Sovereign Insurance Association for Native Nations
A Native nonprofit in support of Tribal Nation insurance sovereignty
NW Native Asset Building Coalition
A Native nonprofit in support of economic sovereignty
Beyond the Canoe
A Native nonprofit in support of health sovereignty through ancestral wellness
Roots to Harmony
A BIPOC nonprofit in support of health sovereignty through expanded consciousness
Pacific NW Black Business Coalition
A BIPOC nonprofit in support of economic sovereignty
Lean Revisions
A BIPOC social enterprise supporting Tribal Nation and BIPOC economic sovereignty
Housing Sovereignty Circle
Building homes by the people, for the people
This circle is focused on community-led change in housing systems. From training to advocacy, we support Tribal Nations and underserved communities in developing sovereign housing economies aligned with their cultural values.
- Supporting Native and BIPOC led housing initiatives
- Advancing bio-based, regenerative construction
- Securing land for housing sovereignty projects
- Supporting housing industry systems change
Members include: Tribal Nations, Native and BIPOC-led organizations and social enterprises, and frontline housing advocates.
Carma Corcoran
Chippewa-Cree
Cultural Sovereignty
Dr. Corcoran is an Adjunct Professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University, and directs American Indian Law at Lewis and Clark Law School. She addresses Native societal issues through workshops on Gentle Action Theory and Traditional Ways of Knowing and Being .
Charlene Eigen-Vasquez
Ohlone
Indigenous Sovereignty
Charlene currently serves as Chairwoman of the Confederation of Ohlone People, she travels across the country providing peacemaking training and consulting on matters of Indigenous self governance, peacemaking, leadership skill development and healing from generational trauma tied to colonization.
Andrea Alexander
Makah Elder
Economic Sovereignty
Andrea has leveraged over $480 million for Indian Country in Tribal Nation
transportation, energy and telecommunications. She is now working on economic sovereignty, addressing financial literacy issues in native communities to help develop new housing sovereignty models through the Northwest Native Asset Building Coalition (NWNABC).
which she founded..
Kenny Tolbert
Choctaw
Economic Sovereignty
Kenny founded the Sovereign Insurance Association for Native Nations (SIANN) to support Native American Nations who own or wish to form Tribal Sovereign Insurance Companies. His mission is to foster the creation of additional Sovereign Insurance companies across Indian Country.
Danny Desjarlais
C̣aƞṡayapi (Lower Sioux)
Housing Sovereignty
Danny Desjarlais is a national leader in Native-led regenerative construction and housing sovereignty. As founder of the Green Buffalo initiative, he advances culturally grounded, bio-based homebuilding to restore self-determination, wellness, and economic power for Indigenous communities.
Health Sovereignty Circle
Wellness on our terms, health in our ancestral hands
This circle centers holistic, culturally grounded models of health that restore collective care systems in our communities. We uplift Indigenous approaches to healing and wellness. We are currently developing Native behavioral wellness programs with the Sacred Medicine Circle and Center for Indigenous Health at Johns Hopkins University.
- Indigenous sacred medicine gatherings
- Intergenerational and historical trauma care
- Ancestral rites of empowerment
- Systems change aligned with tribal sovereignty
Members include: Healers, clinicians, advocates for ancestral plant medicine, systems change, expanded consciousness
Solana Booth
Nooksack, Mohawk, Ts’msyan
Spiritual Sovereignty
As an ocean canoe skipper and NW coastal traditional medicine keeper, Solana's vision is to open the doors of Nesting Eagle, a behavioral health and spiritual clinic. She promotes Native American and Alaska Native and First Nations traditional teachings using multiple healing modalities.
Justice Robert Yazzie
Diné, Navajo Nation
Justice Sovereignty
Robert Yazzie is the former Chief Justice of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court known for his expertise in indigenous peacemaking, He has a global audience, and has been instrumental in reviving and adapting Indigenous conflict resolution methods to support community well-being and indigenous justice and governance.
Jessica Sandhu
Anishinaabe
Wellness Sovereignty
As a Canadian born healer and yoga teacher of Anishinaabe First Nations and Punjabi Indian descent, Jessica honors the traditional customs of yoga and respect Indigenous culture. As an anti-racist healer and teacher, her goal is to create equity in conference rooms, on the yoga mat, and in coaching sessions.
Kavita Shourie
Indus River Valley
Human Sovereignty
Kavita is an ethical entrepreneur of ancient, spiritual practices who examine our relationships with Mother Earth and the current stewardship of land. She is developing a rematriation program and indigenous peacemaking center at a regenerative BIPOC-serving wellness retreat that she is part owner and steward of.
It is majority indigenous, and majority women in leadership and staff.
It is about individuals and communities retaining their capacity to act, and to steward their own destiny.
We advocate for sovereignty through housing and health coalitions of organizations and collectives of individuals.
Advocacy
There are many pathways of advocacy that build capacity for cultural, health and economic sovereignty
Start a local program
Let us help you start a cultural, health or economic sovereignty initiative in your community.
Join an advocacy group
Join one of our advocacy groups for sovereign housing or medicine and meet other supporters like yourself.
Discover your role
Let us help you identify your role in growing capacity for cultural , health and economic sovereignty.