Area Briefs | Change Labs invites applications from Native business owners

TUBA CITY

Change Labs, an award-winning Native American-led organization, is accepting applications from Native American business owners, nonprofit leaders, and entrepreneurs for its business incubation program.

The first-of-its-kind program for Native American entrepreneurs, Change Labs’ incubator, is led by and for Native people. The curriculum is designed for the unique challenges of operating a business on Native land.

“Our Native economies are currently built on principles that are foreign to our ways of thinking and the lives that we want to live,” said Jessica Stago, director of business incubation for Change Labs in Tuba City.

“We need to build our economies based on our own ways of knowing our world,” she said, “and it starts with how we train and support our entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders.”

Business owners enrolled in the Change Labs Incubator get access to business coaching, peer mentorship, and potential financial investment in their business ideas.

Selected applicants are paired with professional business coaches who help strengthen and develop their entrepreneurial infrastructure. Other program benefits include $2,000 in cash services, such as branding development, legal support, and bookkeeping assistance, and automatic eligibility for a $10,000 loan upon graduation from the program.

Change Labs has successfully graduated 34 Native-owned businesses from its incubator, with nine more scheduled to graduate this spring.

The online application to the Change Labs Business Incubator closes on Feb. 20. Apply at: http://nativestartup.org/incubator

Missing, murdered Diné relatives march set

WINDOW ROCK – A missing and murdered Diné relatives march is set for Saturday, Feb. 26, followed by a press conference at the Kayenta Chapter.

Led by delegates Nathaniel Brown and Amber Kanazbah Crotty, the march will begin at 8 a.m. from Kayenta Chapter to the junction of highways 160 and 163 and end with a press conference in front of the chapter house.

“We are marching to share our support for our Diné families and bring awareness to the growing cases of missing relatives across the Navajo Nation,” Brown said.
An official escort will be provided by Navajo law enforcement. Face masks are required and dress warmly.

Tuba City court building closed

WINDOW ROCK– The Tuba City District Court building is closed until Friday at 1 p.m. Essential services will continue during the closure.

Telephone messages for the court may be left at 928-797-1390, 928-797-1393, 928-797-1387, or 928-797-1401. The court can also be contacted at nntccourt@navajo-nsn.gov

Documents may be filed with the Tuba City District Court by email, mail, or drop box. Facsimiles may be sent to 928-725-3786 during the closure.

The mailing address is P.O. Box 725, Tuba City, AZ 86045.

Information: www.courts.navajo-nsn.gov.

New digital series focuses on Indigenous contributions

ALBUQUERQUE – “Indigi-Genius” is an original digital series devoted to sharing the scientific and cultural impact of Indigenous creations and knowledge -– on not only the past but the present world we know today.

Find out what blue corn mush, waterproof clothing, wampum, jerky and adobe bricks have in common.

Written and hosted by Lee Francis, Pueblo of Laguna, a self-described “Indigi-nerd,” and funded in part by Vision Maker Media, this series covers a range of global Indigenous topics, and breaks down some of the science, culture, history, and “Indigi-Genius” knowledge that may sometimes be taken for granted.

“Indigi-Genius” launches Tuesday, Feb. 15, with a live watch party at 6 p.m. View at:

• NMPBS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/NewMexicoPBS
• NMPBS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewMexicoPBS/
• and on the PBS Video App.

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