Meet Ani Blackhorse Begay

We recently connected with Ani Blackhorse Begay and have shared our conversation below.

Ani, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

Moving to the East Coast was quite a culture shock to me. I am from Dinétah (Navajo Nation) in New Mexico & grew up amongst my tribe. It wasn’t until I had little people who depended on me having a voice that I became a fierce advocate for all my Native Peoples. When the school curriculum they were learning was written by non-Natives, I realized I would have to speak up to make my children and my people seem & represented. Native Americans are often portrayed in an antiquated way and people need to know we are also a modern people whose lives are affected by modern day issues. If I don’t speak up, who will? My children deserve better than a parent who sits silently on the wayside. I want them to know where they come from and to be proud of who they are. We are To’ahéélini (The Water That Flows Together People)

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I love to educate and serve my community, whether it’s advocating for disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, or Native rights. What you put into life always has a way of coming back to you, so make sure it’s good. I serve on an HCLS board for Racial Equity. I serve on the AREA board (Anti-Racist Education Alliance board, Capital Native Nations co-director (a local Native Health non profit that serves all our Native relatives throughout the DMV), precious commissioner for HoCo Renaming Commission under Dr. Calvin Ball & current Commissioner for the state of Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs under Gov Wes Moore. Graduate of The Arc of Maryland’s Disability Advocacy group Partners for Policymaking. I, alongside HCLS guru Brooke have successfully put on 6 annual HoCo Native American Heritage Months events (happening every 1st Saturday in November).. We’ve been able to have the Native community more accurately represented within the state of Maryland than ever before. It is my goal to let people know we are still here. There are 574 federally recognized tribes, each with our own languages, ceremonies & ways of living. The one beautiful thing we all have in common is our respect for Mother Earth. My brand was known as NavaBe Diné but as life has a way of shifting so will my brand. I’d love to make my aspiring chefs dream of a Navajo Taco truck a fun venture. Perhaps we will name it The Frybread Flier. Regardless, my passion has always been serving my people and I do that through making us visible and relevant. Indian Country needs strong voices and leaders.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1)Resilience
2)Knowing who I was & where I come from
3)Bravery

I had to mentally prepare myself for failures or rejection; knowing that you cannot succeed in life without learning from your failures. I give myself pep talks and rely on prayer; I think of my ancestors and all they went through for me to be here. I think of all of the obstacles meant to destroy us & yet here we still are. Bravery was learning that in the end you can only count on you.. So even if the path gets hard, people try to bring you down, you always have the choice to control how you react to a situation. The only direction is forward for the sake of future generations. We all have a voice so we should use it.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

It would definitely be my parents. The obstacles they overcame, Native American Boarding Schools, forced assimilation to give us a better life is something I am in constant awe of. And still being able to maintain our cultural despite the outside world screaming it was wrong. A parents love is priceless. But I would also say they blessed me with the gift of valuing community.. I would be lying if I didn’t say how blessed I am with all the wonderful people who have filled my life. I have a firm belief that Creator walks among us and is manifested through one another. We are our own angels. Or in other words…just be a good person.