Description of Agency:
The Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition has worked over the past 7 years to educate and animate Anabaptist church communities in response to the Doctrine of Discovery, the "law of colonialism" that dates back to the 15th century. Our goal is to build grassroots power in Anabaptist communities to bring transformative change in response to harms resulting from the colonization and dispossession of Indigenous lands. Our Coalition is led by volunteers and a part-time organizer. Three volunteer committees drive the work of the Coalition: the Cultural Change committee, Structural Change committee, and the Constituency Engagement committee. We relate closely with Indigenous partners experiencing the ongoing impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery, and accompany them toward self-determination and the protection of their lands and waters. Our Coalition recently launched a Repair Network of congregations and communities affiliated with us who are committed to the work of solidarity with Indigenous communities.
More about the Doctrine of Discovery
The Doctrine of Discovery is a body of laws and policies that legitimized the conquest of Indigenous lands by European Christian nations, and resulted in violence such as state removals of Indigenous groups (like the Trail of Death), Indian Boarding Schools that separated Native children from their families, genocide, and the destruction of ecosystems that manifested in the current climate crisis. We see its ongoing impacts in the possession and pollution of Indigenous lands by extractive industries like mining and agribusiness, in the loss of Indigenous languages and cultural practices, and in disproportionate rates of suicide, addiction, homelessness, and incarceration among Indigenous Peoples among other impacts. We believe it is the Christian Church’s responsibility to repent of the Doctrine of Discovery and work for repair from the harms of colonialism today. To learn more about our Coalition’s work, visit
www.dofdmenno.org.
Job Description:
The Communications Coordinator and Indigenous Solidarity Organizer will be a 50% FTE assignment with the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition. (The VSer’s other ½ time will be with a different agency.) The position will be about 16-18 hours/ week and involve both remote work for the communications aspects of the role and on-the-ground presence for the Indigenous solidarity action aspects of the role. Even though the role officially starts in August of 2022, if the MVS volunteer is available to attend our annual meeting in July 22-24 of 2022 in Albuquerque, NM to meet our Coalition in person, we will cover the expense of participation in that gathering!
Responsibilities:
Engage in communications and storytelling:
- Work with our Constituency Engagement Committee to implement the Coalition’s communication plan to help build our movement for Indigenous justice and widen our reach as a Coalition.
- Manage website updates and design (WordPress experience preferred but not required).
- Assist with Coalition webinars and Zoom meetings (Zoom technical expertise preferred).
- Post Coalition updates and elevate the work of Indigenous partners on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
- Share stories from Coalition through monthly newsletters and blog posts.
- Help with design projects (design experience preferred but not required).
- Research new grant opportunities and draft grant applications, if experience permits.
- Other duties as assigned.
Engage in local indigenous solidarity through prayer, action and organizing following the lead of Tucson-area Indigenous communities:
- Work closely with Shalom Mennonite Fellowship pastoral leadership to support the work of the Apache Stronghold (http://apache-stronghold.com/) through the Coalition’s Protect Oak Flat sub-committee and through Tucson based Oak Flat related organizing.
- Participate in calls to action following the lead of the Apache Stronghold (e.g. gatherings for prayer and action, social media based actions, online gatherings, advocating passage of the Save Oak Flat Bill in congress…).
- Organize for participation in the above especially in Anabaptist connected communities, including Shalom Mennonite Fellowship and the Coalition’s Repair Network.
- Engage in your own prayer for Oak Flat.
- Spend time at Oak Flat.
- Participate in other Tucson area opportunities for learning and Indigenous solidarity (e.g. those organized by the Tohono O’Odham and Pascua Yaqui Nations, the Indigenous Alliance without Borders led Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Indigenous-led organizing related to the border wall…).
- Participate in Shalom Mennonite Fellowship’s Indigenous Solidarity group.
Educational Requirements: At least two years college required; background in communications, peace studies, or nonprofit management preferred.
Other Requirements: Comfort with various technologies or willingness to learn; strong communicator; ability to be both collaborative with a team and self-motivated; ability to make mistakes and learn from them; desire and initiative for learning from Indigenous people and about the impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery; willingness to pray; ability to wait for direction from Indigenous leadership and to find what is yours to do while you wait; love for the creation; desire to engage respectfully with people of diverse spiritualities, prior cross-cultural experience recommended.
Typical schedule: Most hours can be Monday-Friday, between 9-5 PT; flexibility to set one’s own schedule to meet the 16-18 hr/ week requirement. Occasional evening and weekend hours.