We are on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land.
Designating a small part of this City as the first American Indian Cultural District in California provides a small reparation for the land stolen and genocide of us, the original people on this land. It shows the strength and spirit of our people to survive and be resilient. This area will allow us to establish needed resources and space to give honor to those that came before us, support for those who are here and a foundation for those that will follow after us. It also elevates our visibility to those that believe or want us to be gone to show "we are still here".”
- Mary Travis-Allen, AICD Advisory Board President
Our Purpose
To ensure American Indian culture, history, and contributions are recognized and celebrated.
Our Vision
Act as a collective to strengthen American Indian voices, increase visibility, and advocate and create community-strengthening policies aimed at equitable resource access, funding, and opportunities for American Indian people in San Francisco.
About Us
Founded on March 31st, 2020, the American Indian Cultural District (AICD) is the first established Cultural District of its size in the United States dedicated to recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the American Indian legacy, culture, people, and contributions.
The AICD is located on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land in what is now known as the Mission Neighborhood, in a part of the City that holds a unique concentration of historical events, cultural resources, and American Indian based organizations, programming, services, and gathering spaces that are historically and presently important to the American Indian community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
We serve the greater American Indian community by utilizing placemaking and placekeeping initiatives to preserve and celebrate our unique cultures. We support our local businesses, organizations, vendors, and community members through activations and initiatives to help stabilize the local economy.
We gather, develop, and elevate community-driven priorities through our Community Visions Focus Group Gatherings to create a legislated strategic plan called the Cultural Heritage Housing Economic and Sustainability Strategies (CHHESS) Report. In turn, we bring greater city-level visibility to the needs of the American Indian community and combat our historical and systemic invisibility and omission from government systems and processes. We believe that culturally-relevant and culturally-competent initiatives are created and enacted by American Indians for American Indians.
The American Indian Cultural District Hub office is located near Alcatraz along the water at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. The Hub serves as a collective working space for multiple San Francisco based American Indian organizations. AICD will have a future office space in the heart of the Cultural District at The Village SF, a social services and spiritual center which will be located at 80 Julian Avenue.
Overall we seek to empower the urban American Indian community and continue to heal centuries of systemic oppression and racism so we can secure the tools and resources we need to be able to serve our own people.
Indigenize Project
One of the American Indian Cultural Districts top priorities is the Indigenize Project which is a placemaking and placekeeping initiative focused on honoring and celebrating American Indian culture, history, people, and contributions through art, pole banners, street signs, cultural lanterns, and QR digital walking tours.
Currently we have cultural district street signs, flag pole banners, and an AICD mural at the Mission and 16th Street Bart Station within the Cultural District. For next steps, we will be putting up cultural lanterns put up throughout the Mission Street corridor and as well community murals within the 16th Street Bart plaza stations. These efforts are part of The Indigenize Project is intended to create an interactive experience that will confront systematic erasure and expand the rich cultural heritage of San Francisco by increasing public awareness and elevating the visibility of local Native American culture and history through an Indigenous lens. To learn more visit:https://americanindianculturaldistrict.org/indigenizesf
Cultural District Timeline
11/30/2020: San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously motioned to support an expansion of the American Indian Cultural District boundaries from 18th Street to 20th Street to include Mission Dolores Park. The final expansion vote will take place on December 8, 2020. For more information see Agenda Item 2.
11/4/2020: San Francisco Historic Preservation Committee voted unanimously to expand the American Indian Cultural District’s boundaries to the original boundaries agreed on by Supervisor Ronen & Mandelman in March of 2020. For more information see the Supporting Documents.
03/21/2020: San Francisco Board Of Supervisors unanimously pass the first American Indian Cultural District in California. For more information see the agenda and watch here. The discussion starts at 12:00.
02/27/2020: Supervisor Ronen introduces the American Indian Cultural District (AICD) Ordinance to the San Francisco Board Of Supervisors.
12/18/2019: Office of Historic Preservation voted on the American Indian Cultural District Ordinance.
11/13/2019: Mayor London Breed announced the American Indian Cultural District at the Annual American Indian Cultural Center Native American Heritage Night Celebration.
6/1/2019: American Indian Cultural Center (AICC) staff and local American Indian community leaders began working with the American Indian community and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) to establish the American Indian Cultural District (AICD).
4/7/2019: Elder Mary Jean Robinson started a mapping project to identify areas of significance to our community in San Francisco.
About Cultural Districts
In 2018, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors sponsored legislation to create Cultural Districts which are a geographical area within San Francisco that embodies a unique cultural heritage. Through a formalized collaborative partnership between the City and a diverse range of communities, the goal of the Cultural Districts program is to better coordinate resources to assist in stabilizing vulnerable communities facing, or at risk of, displacement or gentrification as well as to preserve, strengthen and promote cultural assets and diverse communities.
As of March 2020, there are eight Cultural Districts: African American Arts and Cultural District, American Indian Cultural District, Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, Japantown Cultural District, Leather LGBTQ Cultural District, SoMa Pilipinas - Filipino Cultural District, and Transgender Cultural District.
We are honored to be part of this diverse collective and we stand in solidarity with our sister Cultural Districts.
Native American Heritage Month: American Indian Cultural District