Claudia A.

Fox Tree, M.Ed.


Speaker and Workshop Presenter

Nation: Arawak (Yurumein)
Email: cfoxtree@gmail.com (best way to contact)
Blogs: First Nations’ People (FNP) Resources and Multicultural Resources
Social Media: Twitter @ClaudiaFoxTree

Workshops

Claudia addresses assumptions that perpetuate stereotypes and myths, expands ideas about "American history," and explores the role of language. Developing a counter-narrative to missing information and misinformation about the First Nations people of this land begins with un-erasing Indigenous voices, learning what we were not taught, and continuing to have those conversations with families and friends.

Claudia’s goals are to…

  • Recognize the importance of CONTRIBUTIONS and REPRESENTATION

  • Become an ALLY, ACTIVIST, AGITATOR, and CO-CONSPIRATOR

  • Learn accurate information about HISTORY and CULTURE

  • Understand CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

  • Deconstruct STEREOTYPES, IMPLICIT BIAS, and CYCLE OF OPPRESSION (ANTI-RACISM)

  • Develop a COUNTER-NARRATIVE (TRANSFORMING CURRICULUM & CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING)

Some “one-hour” presentation titles…

  • Decolonizing Anti-Racism, Implicit Bias, and Stereotypes

  • Settler-Colonist Ties to Thanksgiving & Columbus: The Indigenous Perspective

  • Decolonizing Indigenous Contributions: Taking Back the Narrative

  • Understanding Tribal Land Acknowledgments (TLAs)

  • Culturally Responsive Teaching & Transforming Curriculum (can also be a longer workshop)

  • Cultural Appropriation, Being and Ally, and Contributions

  • Using Interactive Activities to Engage Learners in Conversations About Identity (this is a longer workshop)

Will speak at…

Colleges, conferences, seminars, civic organizations, teacher professional development workshops, etc. As Claudia is a full-time public school teacher, she typically only speaks after the school day or during school vacation weeks.

Booking Information * within Massachusetts**

​​- Currently, and in the near future, Claudia is primarily presenting in the virtual/ synchronous mode (very little in person). She is most familiar with Zoom, but she has used other virtual platforms. If she’s unfamiliar with the platform, she may need to schedule a 15-minute “tech check” right before the presentation.
- Presentations for smaller groups may be a seminar or participatory workshop.
- For larger groups, presentations are participatory lectures with a slideshow.
- Curriculum consultation is also available upon request.
- Rates available upon request

* Outside of Massachusetts or more than 75 min. away from Concord, MA incurs additional travel expenses.
** Some consultations may be done in collaboration with a teaching partner or group, and include an additional fee.

Please consider these questions and requests:
- Have you already chosen a date and time?
- Is this live/ in-person or virtual on a Zoom-type platform?
- If it is live, will there be people/ audience so that a participatory activity could be included?
- Claudia prefers no video-taping or recordings and does not share slides beforehand or afterward. However, she can offer a resource list of the information discussed.
- Please let me know if your organization will be preparing/ doing a Tribal Land Acknowledgment (TLA) at the beginning of the program. Claudia is happy to present a TLA, but also feels that organizations need to practice and take ownership of this important practice. More information about TLAs can be found here.


Travel

When not virtual, Claudia generally travels anywhere in the Greater Boston area. Depending on the public school schedule, she could be flexible throughout New England and Cape Cod. Claudia is willing to travel abroad with sufficient notice, depending on the time of year.

Biography

(Please feel free to use whatever you think is relevant in your promotional materials.)

Claudia A. Fox Tree (she, her) identifies as a multiracial Indigenous woman. She has been a middle school special education teacher for over 35 years. She has also taught professional development and social justice courses at the college level for Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for all Students (IDEAS). She has also presented decolonizing anti-racism initiatives at numerous local, national, and International conferences. Claudia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts (Boston), teaching certification in elementary and special education from Fitchburg State College, and a Master’s Degree in Education from Northeastern University in educational research. She is currently a doctoral student at Lesley University. Claudia is also a polymer clay artist, blogger, and mother to five young adults (and four cats).

Since 2000, Claudia has been on the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (https://www.mcnaa.org/) board. MCNAA’s mission is to preserve Native American cultural traditions; assist Native American residents with basic needs and educational expenses; advance public knowledge and understanding, dispel inaccurate information about Native People, and work toward racial equality by addressing racial issues and inequities across the region.

Since 1998, Claudia has been a Massachusetts liaison for the United Confederation of Taino People, headquartered in New York. UCTP (http://uctp.blogspot.com/) spans the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the United States and beyond. The UCTP is dedicated to promoting and protecting the human rights, cultural heritage, and spiritual traditions of the Taíno and other Caribbean Indigenous Peoples for present and future generations and endeavors to assist its citizens in their social, economic, and educational, cultural, and spiritual development. Claudia is a tribal member of the Iukaieke Guainia Taino-Arawak Tribal Community.

In 2022, Claudia was awarded a Citation from The Massachusetts House of Representatives for "scholarship, activism, and tireless work to give voice to the experiences of Indigenous and Native American People."

In 2022, Claudia was honored by Ad Club for creating a more equitable Boston as a “Mentoring Champion” on their Equity Project Honor Roll.

In January 2017, Claudia was the opening speaker at the Boston Women’s March and spoke to over 125,000 people on the Boston Common.

In 2016, Claudia was the 58th woman to be featured by YM (Eliminating Racism/Empowering Women) Boston Women of Influence Series for the YWCA’s 150th anniversary.

In 2015, Community of Change recognized Claudia with the Drylongso Award for significant anti-racism work.

In 2011, Claudia wrote a chapter, “Aren’t They All Dead? Covert Racism and Native Americans,” in Covert Racism: Theories, Institutions, and Experiences, edited by Dr. Rodney D. Coates.

Who are the Awawak?

 

The Arawak are an Indigenous Nation who, at one time, ranged from Florida, through the Caribbean, and into the northern part of South America. We are still alive today, living everywhere in the world, and passing on the traditions, stories, and culture of our ancestors to the next generation. Our beliefs were founded upon the land of our ancestors, the Americas, with their unique climate, plants, and animals. There are many words in the English language that are Arawak in origin. These words represent inventions, foods, cooking techniques, and other contributions that are Indigenous and include: barbecue, cacique, canoe, cigar, hammock, hurricane, and tobacco.

In 1492, shipboard on his third night in the Indies, Christopher Columbus wrote in his journal, “I could conquer the whole of them with fifty men and govern them as I pleased.” On his 2nd voyage in 1493, Columbus arrived with 17 ships, 1,500 men, farmers, masons, foot soldiers, carpenters, ironworkers, priests, and 20 purebred mastiffs and greyhounds. He brought seeds, plants, and domestic animals like cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs that completely transformed the environment. His ships also carried chains, medallions, and branding irons. Columbus came with the intention of enslaving. He set the tone and example for later Conquistadors, one of genocide, cultural destruction, and environmental damage. The Arawak survived and continue to pass on their cultural traditions to this day.

Yurumein is the traditional name for my ancestors’ island of Saint Vincent.

Resume

Selected Host Organizations:

  • 2022: Upstander Academy (Producers of Dawnland); Milton, Belmont, Peabody, Lynnfield, Beverly Libraries, Eastern Nazarene College

  • 2021: (Virtual) Mount Holyoke University (South Hadley, MA); Brandeis University (Waltham, MA); Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Lincoln METCO (Lincoln, MA)

  • 2020: Maynard Anti-Racism Alliance (Maynard, MA); Brandeis University Indigenous People’s Day (Waltham, MA); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA); Bedford Embraces Diversity (Bedford, MA); Springfield Technical Community College (Springfield, MA); Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (Cambridge, MA); Unitarian Church (Billerica, MA); 9th Annual Making a Difference Conference (Special Education Surrogate Parents-SESPs), A Project of the Federation for Children with Special Needs); Hauswitch (Salem, MA)

  • 2019: Tewksbury Public Library (Tewksbury, MA)

  • 2018: Winchester Multicultural Network (Winchester, MA)

  • 2017: Raytheon (Tewksbury, MA); Wheaton keynote at UWC (United World College) Retreat; Framingham State College (Framingham, MA); Emmanuel College (Boston, MA)

  • 2016: Winchendon School (Winchendon, MA); UMass (Dartmouth, MA); Springfield Technical Community College (Springfield, MA); Eastern Nazarene College (Quincy, MA); Wheaton College (Norton, MA)

  • 2015: Roger Williams University (Bristol, CT); Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Burlington, MA): South Church (Boston, MA)

  • 2014: Amherst Public Schools (Amherst, MA)

  • 2013: Brandeis University (Waltham, MA); Connecticut College (New London, CT); Hanover Senior Center (Hanover, MA); GBSOCAN (Greater Boston Student of Color Achievement Network) High School Student Retreat to Develop Social Justice Leadership Skills (Brookline, MA); and AISNE (Association of Independent Schools in New England) High School Students of Color Conference.

  • 2012: U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick, MA); Suffolk University (Boston, MA); Ana Maria College (Worcester, MA); Brandeis University (Waltham, MA); and University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth, MA).

  • 2011: 350-Year Anniversary Celebration in Newton (Newton, MA)

  • 2010: Cambridge College (Cambridge, MA.)

Selected 12-15 Hour Courses

  • 2020-2022: Decolonizing Curriculum: Developing the Counter Narrative (Nantucket, MA; Winchester, MA)

  • 2020-2022: Decolonizing Anti-Racism Conversations (Nantucket, MA; Hingham, MA; Somerville, MA)

Selected Curriculum Consultation:

  • 2018: Curriculum Consultation on Dawnland (independent film) Teacher's Guide

  • 2018: Curriculum Consultation K-12 The Park School (Brookline, MA)

Selected Conferences & Presentations

  • Anti-racist An Indigenous Perspective (Vancouver, BC, Canada)

  • Achieving Change Together: 2nd Annual Conference (Brockton, MA)

  • White Privilege Symposium/New England Understanding & Challenging Privilege: One Ally at a Time (Nauset, MA)

  • Thirty-Third Annual METCO Directors Conference (Randolph, MA)

  • White Privilege Symposium/New England Beyond Diversity and Inclusion: Mobilizing Across Boundaries (Cambridge, MA)

  • First Annual Social Justice Conference; Curley School (Jamaica Plain, MA)

  • Teachers College, Columbia University, New York: Winter Roundtable: 22nd Annual Roundtable on Cultural

  • Psychology and Education - What You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know About Native Americans (Before Teaching About them)

  • Massachusetts Dept. of Health; Boston, MA: Native American Heritage Month: Native American Cultural Implications in Mainstream Healthcare

  • Boston University; Boston, MA: Howard Thurman Center: Looking at Multiracial and Multiethnic Identity of Native Americans

  • Lower/Outer Community Coalition, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Health, and Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center: Mashpee, MA: Wuneeshkeeht – Good Medicine: Learning From Each Other Respect, Harmony & Healing: Turning Tables, Experiencing Cultural Incongruities.

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Cambridge, MA: Boston Asian Students Intercollegiate Conference (BASIC): Panel - People of United Color in Boston

  • University of Massachusetts; Boston, MA Native American Student Association (NASA): Panel - Native American Women in Leadership Roles

  • Boston College; Chestnut Hill, MA: Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture, Third Annual Diversity Challenge (ISPRC) - presentation with Tricia O’Reilly, EMI & Claypit Elementary - Including Ethnicity in the Racial Identity Dialogue

  • University of Hartford; Hartford, CT: National Association of Multicultural Educators (NAME): 8th Annual CT Conference on Multicultural Education - presentation with Elli Stern, EMI - Difficult Discussions: Teaching Identity, Power, and Privilege in The Classroom

  • Teachers College, Columbia University, New York: Winter Roundtable: 20th Annual Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education - Turning Tables: Experiencing Cultural Incongruities

Awards/ Recognition:

  • 2022 Awarded a Citation from The Massachusetts House of Representatives for "scholarship, activism, and tireless work to give voice to the experiences of Indigenous and Native American People."

  • 2022 Honored by Ad Club for creating a more equitable Boston as a “Mentoring Champion” on their Equity Project Honor Roll.

  • January 2017 Opening speaker at the Boston Women’s March and spoke to over 125,000 people on the Boston Common.

  • 2016 Boston Women of Influence Series The 58th woman to be featured by YM (Eliminating Racism/Empowering Women) on the YWCA’s 150th anniversary

  • 2015 Community Change, Inc. Drylongso Award for significant anti-racism work

  • 2000 EMI Outstanding Anti-Racist Educator from her School District

Selected Interviews/Videos:

Selected Publications:

  • Fox Tree, C. A. (9/30/2016).  “My First Home Was An Arranged Marriage .” Boston Globe Real Estate section. 

  • Fox Tree, C. A. (2011). "Aren’t They All Dead? Covert Racism And Native Americans." Covert racism: Theories, institutions, and experiences. Ed. R. D. Coates. Koninklijke Brill: Leiden, The Netherlands.

  • Suyemoto, K. & Fox Tree, C. (2006, June). “Building Bridges Across Differences to Meet Social Action Goals: Being and Creating Allies Among People of Color.” American journal of community psychology special issue. (vol. 37. no. 3-4). pp. 237-246.

  • Fox Tree - McGrath, C. (2000). "Letter to My Children’s Teacher." Presented at The Third Annual Indigenous Women’s Conference: The Voice of Mother Earth on May 7, 2000. Long Island, New York. Published (Summer, 2000) in Turtle Talk Newsletter: A Quarterly Publication of Mass. Center for Native American Awareness. pp. 3-4.

Websites & Blogs

 

Native American Resources

Claudia posts the information shared in her workshops and presentations, additional links to articles and video, and many lists of books.  In this blog, she shares and updates resources long after the presentations are done and courses she has taught have ended. She addresses a broad range of Native American issues, with a focus on the Arawak (her nation) and Massachusetts (where she lives).

Multicultural Education

Claudia teaches several courses under the broad topic of "Multicultural Education," prioritizing social justice issues of access, power/privilege, and narrowing the academic achievement gap. She is a person of color and almost always has a white co-teacher. These courses include topics, such as: racism, sexism, heterosexism, growth mindset in the context of cultural proficiency, cultural appropriation, multicultural literature, transforming curriculum, closing the academic achievement gap, etc. This is a place where Claudia posts information that she teaches; lesson plans for specific activities; and resources used.

 

EDCO

Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students (IDEAS), a Project of EDCO Collaborative, a program committed to achievement and success for all students via culturally proficient classrooms and schools that honor the individuality of students and families of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.

MCNAA 

The Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness was founded by Burne Stanley-Peters and her late husband Slow Turtle.  The mission is to assist needy Native American residents with basic needs, college related expenses, and cultural and spiritual enrichment; to advance public knowledge and understanding that helps dispel inaccurate information about Native Americans; and to work towards racial equality by addressing inequities across the region

UCTP

The United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP) was established as a Caribbean Indigenous leadership initiative or an “Inter-Tribal authority” inspired by ancient Taino and other Indigenous confederacies as well as contemporary initiatives such as the National Congress of American Indians (U.S.), the Grand Council of the Crees (Canada), the Assembly of First Nations (Canada), the International Indian Treaty Council, COICA (Columbia), and CONFANIE (Ecuador) etc.