to Native American Health Center’s (NAHC) 2025 Gala Celebration, Sustaining the Circle!
Tonight, we come together in gratitude and solidarity to honor the collective strength that has carried our community forward and helped us sustain a circle of care that extends beyond medicine. For 53 years, NAHC has been a place of healing and cultural connection for Bay Area Native Americans and all who walk through our doors.
Despite our progress, the future of health care, and the survival of community health centers like ours, is being debated on political stages. Yet the health and well-being of our people should never be a political question. It is a sacred responsibility.
Through every challenge, our community has endured. Together, we have built a powerful circle that holds our services and programs, our elders and youth, our healers and families, our cultures and our future. Sustaining this circle is made possible by your support Every contribution strengthens our ability to continue this work to provide care that honors our ancestors activism and stewardship, embraces cultural traditions, and builds a stronger, healthier future for all
As we look ahead to the opening of our new building, Flicker, in early 2026, we are reminded of how far we ’ ve come from one small location in San Francisco in 1972 to 13 sites across the Bay Area. Flicker will be more than a clinic. It will be a home for healing, community, and cultural connection, representing our shared commitment to Sustaining the Circle for decades to come.
Thank you for walking alongside us, for believing in our work, and for helping us carry this torch forward With your partnership, we will continue to sustain the circle
In solidarity,
Natalie Aguilera, CEO Native American Health Center
Native American Health Center wishes to recognize the Lisjan Ohlone people whose traditional territory the Native American Health Center’s 2025 Gala Celebration is on. They bear the past, present, and future wisdom of this sacred and living land.
Sogorea Te’ Land Trust is an urban Indigenous women-led land trust that creates opportunities for all people living in Lisjan territory to work together in re-envisioning the Bay Area community and what it means to live on Ohlone land. If you wish to donate to Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, please visit their website at sogoreate-landtrust.org/donate or scan the QR Code.
Jackie Keliiaa is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor based in Oakland You can find her in the book, “We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy.” Jackie has been featured on Comedy Central, Team Coco, Netflix, and IllumiNative’s “25 Native American Comedians to Follow.” She wrote for the web series “You're Welcome America” and has been featured in Vulture, Uproxx, LA Times, and KQED, among others. Jackie has opened for Judah Friedlander and Nikki Glaser and was featured on Amazon Prime’s “First Nations Comedy Experience.” Jackie produces Good Medicine Comedy, an all-Native comedy show that has sold out venues in the Bay Area and beyond. Jackie has performed at San Francisco SketchFest, Punch Line San Francisco, and Cobb's Comedy Club. Jackie attended UC Berkeley, majoring in Ethnic Studies and Native American Studies. She has a Master's in Urban Planning from Columbia University and spent a decade working in community and economic development prior to pursuing comedy
All Nations is a Northern style Powwow singing group from Oakland, CA. The group has been singing together for over 20 years and is an influential Native American drum group in the Bay Area and beyond. The All Nations Singers teach youth and adults interested in powwow style singing every Wednesday at the Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland. Over the years several singers have sat down to sing with All Nations. All Nations fuses their urban/contemporary upbringing with traditions of the past to provide good sounding and appropriate songs everywhere they sing.
The Elem Pomo dancers are from Elem Indian Colony in Clearlake Oaks, CA. Started by Jim and Elvina Brown. The Brown Ohana has been dancing since the early 70's. They have performed in Washington, DC, Arizona, Hawaii, and recently at the Met in New York and the De Young Museum in San Francisco. As well as performing the Shakehead Dance, they continue to practice their sacred Hesi dance at the roundhouse on Elem. They are dedicated to celebrating and preserving the rich heritage of the Pomo people. Through traditional song, dance, and regalia, our dancers connect with their ancestors and learn the stories and values passed down for generations. Under the guidance of our community elders and leaders, the dancers not only learn to mimic the movements of traditional Pomo dances but also gain a deep understanding of their cultural significance We believe that by nurturing this next generation, we ensure the vibrant traditions of the Pomo people
