Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation

For years, Alaska Native peoples have been calling for a transformative healing process that comes from our people, honors our values, and addresses permanent systemic and societal transformation.  The Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) endeavor is in direct response to the call from our communities to grow a shared understanding of Alaska’s true history, to right the wrongs that continue to inhibit our true potential as a state, and to help our communities and our state heal in order to achieve systemic change and an equitable future for all.  We incorporate the knowledge and vision of our healers to foster healing and connectedness for thriving communities into our TRHT work.

Our TRHT work takes place through hosting theme based tribunals. The tribunal process brings people together to share their truths, create a platform for healing, and transform systems to reflect our truths as Alaska Natives, to create a better world for our children.  Tribunals call truth providers, Pullers, Story Guardians, and Healers together to engage in a healing process of sharing the truth of the experience and impacts of the topic of the gathering. The tribunals are documented in both text and video to build a record of the true history of Alaska. Truth providers are not limited to a timeframe and are welcome to share more than once.

“there was a moment where I realized this is what community healing looks like. To be able to share in the carrying of burdens that we have and reaffirm for each other that it’s ok to come as you are and speak your truth. Even if it’s hard and even if it’s dark and the wounds are ugly.” -Tribunal Truth Provider

“My role was one of witnessing. There was a large emphasis on bearing witness and also deep listening and like reflection on the truth that people were sharing. To make sure that we just listened very, very deeply in a posture that wasn't defensive, but was focused on how we were going to make advancement on these issues by hearing about the things that those who we were representing have, historically, played a role in the challenges that people were sharing.” -Tribunal Accountability Partner