descents and i'd like to say on a personal level thats ths really an honor for me to be presenting this award to kathy and of course to gale because without kathy and without gale i wouldn't be here today. it was about 15 years ago that i walked in the native american aids project office and i was kind of despondent. i was just at the end of my rope and i met kathy and kathy gave me hope. she tied me into services at native american aids project and she referred me over to the health center. and it was the health center and nailtive american aids project together -- native american aids project together that really helped me to be where i'm at today and without these two organizations, without these two women, i wouldn't be where i'm at today. so it really is with deep respect, i thank these two ladies. so thank you. and now mark would like to say a few words about kathy.

>> thank you. about three years ago kathy was hired at the native american health center. i didn't know her at the time or at least i didn't think i did. we started talking about the old days and how things were and it turned out she knew my mother and we talked more and it turns out she remembered me as a kid. during the longest walk. and i thought, wow, that goes back 1978. i'm 45 now. that story that you're under 40e isn't going to work anymore. no, honestly i think, you know, what we do at the health center as well as nap is provide services that are needed for our community and the city as a whole. with the recent budget cuts and cuts to the h.i.v. programs and dental and medical, it's apparent that we provide the services because there's a needed -- a need for them and the people that work there work there because they believe in their mission, they believe in the community, they believe in their heart what thank what

they're doing is healing our community and it's not for the recognition and recognizing people this year for what they do out of their heart is special. and there are a lot of heroes out in the community. the ones we honor tonight, we'd like to thank them for what they do for our community and also we embrace them because from what they do, it goes on to the next generation. you know, their kids, their grandchildren, their nieces, their nephews. see what they do and what they can accomplish and what we can accomplish together and because of that we honor people like kathy and kathy i'd like to thank you for all the help you give our patients, the kind words you give them and for the services that we provide. we don't have a lot of money but we do with what we can. and kathy's just been instrumental in our department and congratulations, kathy.

>> this was really a surprise to me but now i know why mr. randy burns was coming around the clinic. and there's some people that i'd like to come up because they are who we do the work for. i don't know if one of them is here. angela, i'd like phyllis and nicky, morning star to come up here if they can. because it is for our children that we have done the work that we've done. when i came to this community i came in, oh, gosh, it was before 1978. one of the first places that i went to was to the native

american health center. and i had the opportunity to be served by lew that dell and lindy and learned as a patient about community health and the community i grew up in in southern california. we didn't have an indian clinic, we didn't have an indian center. when i came here there was the san francisco indian center, there was intertribal friendship house in oakland and it was the first community that i had lived in where there's a real sense of caring and it was the first community i had lived in where there were a lot of sober indian people and i'd like to thank helen and marty for the work that they've done in that area. and i don't know if helen, you saw, the white bison meditation of the day today but it was a saying from wilma and she

talked about the importance of education. i don't see any of those young people whose names i called coming up here. but i want to -- shirleyy come up here. morning star. phyllis. and angela. i am so impressed with some of the young people, along with roscadee, our other nominee tonight because they get it. they really get it. we have worked so hard in our generation. we felt like we were the cultural bridge between the generations and i'd also like to thank peggy down here who over the years has not let me not use my radio skills. peggy was a recipient of this award and she is with the native media resource center and native public media.

and goes around the country and helps build radio stations in indian country. angela is case manager at our local program. loyan works for health. important star was born at the freedom survival school. and we do all of the work that we do as cultural workers for our children in the next generation and i would just like to thank all of them because it fills my heart to know that the work that we do, that the knowledge that's being passed on from generation to generation. thank you. and i'd just like to thank mark

also because when i started working at the clinic and i loorked -- looked at him and said, aren't you one of the twins? and i remember him of the twins? i remembered him when he had his long hair. [applause] >> it's my pleasure to introduce our fourth honoree, but i wanted to check and see if shade was here? please join me. roz is a native californian musician and is the co-founder and director of a native youth organization. it's known as s.n.a.g. he leads free weekly workshops with native youth, where he passes his knowledge to the next generation teaching them

music, video, writing, photography, magazine layout and design. roz co-hosts a native program on the radio. he is a renowned producer for audio pharmacy. he has returned from palestine and a european tour with his band. he has taken trips to south dakota and new orleans to help with youth and others in times of need. roz has began working with the community as an h.i.v.-aids outreach worker in 2001 and moved to the youth department at the native american health center in oakland in 2004 where he has worked as a youth program coordinator. in 2002, roz begun working as a hip-hop history teacher at street academy high school in oakland and helped found the

native-run movie studio. he has been involved in his tribe's traditional ceremonies as a dancer and singer and travels to his reservation for spiritual ceremonies. it is easy to see that his spirit of giving back continues to inspire the next generation of youth, young people. would you like to say something? >> thank you. i would like to say thank you to everyone who made this possible today, and i would like to echo honoring all of the people that are honored here today. roz didn't even know that i nominated him. he didn't find out until he got the phone call. he is kind of embarrassed by that because getting this kind of attention is big, but i don't like public speaking, so when i told him that i had to

present the nomination to him, he said that's what you get. so i'm going to do my best. i wrote down some words about why i nominated roz and i thought he deserved this award. when i first met him, we were both at a show in the city seeing a band. he walked up to me with his backpack on and handed me a flier for a show he was performing the next night at my school. i learned of how many obstacles he had overcome in his life and his dream of being a professional musician. he told me then that music was his first love. since then, i have watched him overcome even more obstacles as we all do in life to become part of the next generation of leaders in his communities. his music is the soundtrack of struggles for social justice and he has even had organized protests himself when his tribe tried to disenroll members and quash elections.

i think the most powerful impact roz has made in the community is on a path he didn't choose initially. that's with working with youth and in media. the idea was born at a workshop we were doing with youth who expressed feelings of disempowerment. no one was listening to them. and although his heart is still in his music, roz understands the importance of listening to the voices of young people and of being a man tore and that's often the most difficult role anyone can undertake. i work in juvenile justice and roz and i often talk about how fearful adults are of young people and how wary how adults are interacting with youth who aren't their own. we know that working with youth is among the hardest and most rewarding things you can do. roz has traveled to europe and japan with his band and he has been sent all over, even to kenya to represent his community as an organizer and as an artist. he always come home to continue working with the youth on a weekly basis here in the bay

area and on reservations. he just returned this week from working on the ute reservation in colorado with youth instructing them how to write lyrics and create music. that is one of his other loves. so ultimately when i lock at him, i see someone who gives his all without asking for anything back and i see someone who in his 30 years has done enough for probably two lifetimes. so i look forward to seeing what more you do in your life, roz. i'm here today to thank you for all that you have done already. so please join me in celebrating roz. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you all for coming out today. i'm not prepared to speak so i'm going to let him come from the heart. there is a lot of people here, there are about 100 people in here that also deserve this award, so i'm going to accept this on your behalf as well. i have been blessed to see the world traveling as a musician, as an artist, and as what i like to call a peace ambassador from here, from north america. and i have seen a lot of communities struggles. i have seen a lot of people hurt, a lot of people going through pain and struggles and it's so beautiful to come from this community here in san francisco and to see all of these dancers here, see all of these young people empowered and believing in their

traditions and so i'm so proud to be a part of this community in san francisco. originally when we came up with the idea of doing a media workshop with youth, we didn't know it was going to be so popular and that so many good things were going to come out of it. it's been about seven years and that we have been working with snag producing a youth magazine and we're on our seventh issue. and we're actually planning an event. i'm going to use this time to promote that event. it's december 11. everyone here is welcome to come and see what our community is all about and come through and get your holiday gifts and those things as well. thank you, guys, and much love. [applause]

>> i call linda o'brien at this time. >> thank you very much, tom. good evening, everyone. i'm linda o'brien, chief content officer for kqud and northern california public broadcasting. let me extend my congratulations to all five of the honorees. let's have an applause for all of them. [applause] we are delighted to be here and i would also like to recognize from our community advisory panel, gail, robert, and pa rhea, thank you for joining us this evening. they are tireless supporters of kqud and the community. kqed is very proud to be celebrating american indian heritage month along with the san francisco mayor's office of

neighborhood services, the friendship association of american indians and native american aids project. it is a true honor to be spending this evening with all of you. you know, during the month of november, kqed is very proud to provide a schedule of a lineup of programs focused on american indian themes and issues. these programs, independently, are highlighted in a guide and online and also with some very rich community resources on our website at kqed.org if you would like to take a look. this month alone, we will be broadcasting over 40 programs focused on the american indian community. a few highlights -- thank you. [applause] >> thank you for the words of one of our honorees tonight about kqed's work in the community because we are very proud to present these and other programs. just a quick rundown of a

couple of programs coming up -- jim thorpe, world's greatest athlete is broadcasting this saturday, november 14, at 6:00 p.m. this "chronicle"s the superstar's remarkable life from his boyhood in oklahoma all the way to his gold medal wins at the 1912 summer olympics, then to his subsequent fall from grace and then later his advocacy of american indian rights and self-sufficiency. the biography recounts all of these events with wonderful in-depth interviews with thorpe's surviving children, dramatic re-creations and archival stills and films. and then playing for the world which is the 1904 -- imagine that -- 1904 fort shaw indian girls basketball team. that's going to air this sunday at noon. this program takes a special look at the unique team of native american women who

played basketball as a montana boarding school back in 1902. i'm very pleased to announce that this week kqed is rebroadcasting a very special series called "we suspicious remain." this is from the pbs series, the award-winning series the american experience. it is a provocative multimedia project that establishes native history as an essential part of american history. this five-part series presents a multifaceted look at native perseverance and ingenuity over the course of three centuries. "we shall remain" is unprecedented in the collaboration between native and nonnative filmmakers as well as the involvement of native advisors and scholars at all levels of the project. it is truly a ground-breaking production with unbelievable

production elements and i encourage you all to watch this series. so we have a table here today to find out more about kque's american indian programming. and now it is my great pleasure to talk for a moment about our fifth and final nominee, our honoree, i should say, mary dean robertson. [applause] >> she is a chair key nation citizen. she is a superior court deputy clerk in san francisco, but i understand it's a job that she took originally in order to help support her passion for radio. so we have a connection already. she has been a programmer on the native american show on kpoo for 37 years. [applause]

>> and that program is called "voices of the native nations." it airs on the third, fourth, and fifth wednesday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. it is a magazine format with zpwuffs, announcements, music, and powwow information. if you can't receive kpoo on your radio at 89.5 fm in san francisco, you can also listen to www.kpoo.com. mary jean has a fascinating history and heritage. her father was david conrad robertson who served? general patton's third army from normandy to berlin as a signal corps officer, a cherokee code talker. she is also descended from one of the first cherokee presbyterian circuit ministers and from a man who led on the

trail of tears. mary jean is on the community relations council and she is working very hard to get a cherokee nation counselor office officially recognized by the u.s. state department here in the san francisco bay area to promote not only trade and travel, but also to promote the cherokee artists, writers, craftsmen, and products in our bay area. in the area days of the california arts council, mary jean received two of its artist in schools and communities grants. she was an oral historian for the american indian arts workshop in the 1970's and she and another historian advised and costumed the native american themed play "the loon's rays." what a wonderful background. we were so happy for you, mary

jean, and now i would like to introduce you to a former kqed community advisory panel member and also an american indian local hero recipient himself and he would like to say a few words about mary jean. welcome. [applause] >> what a beautiful gathering of friends and family. i was asked to introduce mary jean from a more personal point of view and i'm going to try in this lighting to actually read the words of our friend kim who i think really summed up what mary jean means to our community. mary jean robinson has been named a local hero in what has become too often an overused phrase. she has worked tirelessly and selflessly to further the interests of the communities. she brings something to the potluck. she always has a couch to crash

on and she spends time stuffing envelopes for causes she believes in. she spent years carrying for an elder until she passed. mary jean has been involved in every productive action that the local native communities have undertaken in the last 40 years. she hosts a twice-monthly radio show. she puts herself forward and is relatively unrecognized in her actions. she was involved in the start of the neighborhood community centers in san francisco. she took part in san francisco state and participated in some of the first multiethnic classes there. if it was important, if it happened in the last 40 years in san francisco, m.j. was there. she currently supports the oakland-based intertribal friendship house, helps with fundraising and where she is needed. i also sat on the community advisory panel. one thing, one criteria that we have in choosing local heroes

is that they be unsung. when i looked at m.j.'s resume and looked under awards and titles and it listed runnerup for ms. almadin, it was long due the time for this award. m.j., come up. [applause] >> wow, you don't even know you did all that! [laughter] there was a whole bunch of noise up here today and i just wanted to say that another one of the things that i do is i'm the native american co-chair

for sciu. and so there was a bunch of people out front fighting for jobs, fighting to help prevent the layoffs that's going on in november. so if you're here, mayor, i heard some cheers up there. i hope that means we don't lose any people from the city jobs. so i want to thank all of you who have worked in this community for the 40 years that i have been here. i moved here in 1969. we have such a strong community. it's so amazing the strengths that we have and there is something about san francisco that's very special. it pulls in people. and one of the things that i'm doing currently is to recognize

a protocol that those of us who came here on relocation or for education or for -- because our parents brought us, is to honor the protocol of honoring the original people of san francisco. and so i'm doing up a project with a number of other people to honor the costa people because this is their land and we all live on occupied aloni territory. [cheers and applause] so i want to thank you all for this honor. it's just tremendously inspiring and it just

encourages us all to do more. and i want to also thank all of those who struggled to get all of the organizations and representations because if we unite in things like sciu and the unions, there are ways that we can work together with thousands of people instead of just us so that they recognize that we all have the right to the same kind of health care benefits and the same kind of education benefits that everybody else does. and what happens when you live in an urban area is that too often, urban indian people are left out and left behind because too often, when we move away from our tribal bases, those agencies like indian

health service and bureau of indian affairs, well, if they're off their reservations, they don't deserve any funding or any help. that's why the urban indian health centers and the -- all of the agencies that have worked so hard and presented these heroes are needing all of us in all of the ways that we can work to remind people that we do not get the same kind of federal funding that reservation agencies get we have to remind people that those of us in these native programs do not get money from the casinos. we have to work on our own to raise those funds amongst competing with all of the rest of the communities. they say the indians always get government money, it's not true, folks. in urban areas, we have to

really work hard to get that funding for our agencies and for our communities. so i want to thank you all for all of the work that you have done to preserve those agencies here in the city and thank you for this honor. [applause] >> all good things must come to an end. thank you very much for celebrating with us. i want to make some comments about helen, is helen still here. helen and martin. she was standing by in the event that the mayor showed up, but i wanted to call her up just to give a greeting and martin, thank you for being here. thank you for his support. we enjoyed having you. thank you. [cheers and applause]

>>