Claudia A.

Fox Tree, Ph.D.


Speaker and Workshop Presenter

Nation: Arawak (Yurumein) - Taino iukaieke Guainia
Email: cfoxtree@gmail.com (best way to contact)
Social Media:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Workshops

Claudia challenges the assumptions that perpetuate stereotypes and Indigenous invisibility, expanding the conversation to center Indigenous Peoples within broader anti-racism and social justice work. Building a counter-narrative to omission and misinformation begins with un-erasing Indigenous voices, learning what we were not taught, and continuing those conversations with families and communities.

In addition to workshops, Claudia teaches 12-hour courses, which can be scheduled over two full or four half days.

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” presentations are…

  • Decolonizing Environmental Racism & Genocide·      

  • Decolonizing Anti-Racism, Implicit Bias, and Stereotypes

  • Decolonizing Thanksgiving & Columbus

  • Decolonizing Indigenous Contributions

  • Decolonizing Culturally Responsive Teaching

  • Decolonizing Curriculum

  • Decolonizing Cultural Appropriation

  • Decolonizing Identity

  • Decolonizing Ecosystems

  • Understanding Tribal Land Acknowledgments (TLAs)

Will speak at…

Colleges, conferences, seminars, civic organizations, teacher professional development workshops, etc.

Booking Information * within Massachusetts**

​​- Claudia can present in person and in a virtual/ synchronous mode.
- 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 conducted in collaboration with a teaching partner or group and may incur 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 must practice and take ownership of this critical practice. More information about TLAs can be found here.


Travel

When not virtual, Claudia generally travels within the Greater Boston area. She can be flexible throughout New England and Cape Cod. Claudia is willing to travel abroad with sufficient notice and expenses paid.

Brief Biography

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

Dr. Claudia A. Fox Tree (she/her/hers) earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Lesley University, an M.Ed. in Educational Research from Northeastern University, Special Education Certification (grades 6–12) from Fitchburg State College, and a B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Claudia has been an Instructor with Initiates for Developing Equity and Achievement for all Students (IDEAS) https://www.massupt.org/ideas/ since 1991. She retired from Lincoln Public Schools in 2024 after more than 35 years as a middle school special education teacher.

An international speaker, Claudia has presented in Japan, Canada, the Caribbean, and across the United States. Her social justice work centers on decolonizing anti-racism conversations, curriculum, and culturally responsive teaching. She focuses on recognizing implicit bias, microaggressions, and stereotypes, and on understanding how racial and settler privilege shape the visibility and invisibility of Indigenous Peoples.

Claudia was the first speaker at Boston’s 2017 Women's March and has continued to engage in protests, marches, and community actions throughout Boston and the surrounding region, advocating for equity, justice, and the rights of marginalized communities.

She is the author of the chapter “Aren’t They All Dead? Covert Racism and Native Americans” in Covert Racism: Theories, Institutions, and Experiences, edited by R. D. Coates, and a contributor to the forthcoming volume Exploring Racial Code-Switching in Education: Unapologetic Perspectives and Actionable Strategies, edited by Alice Ragland, Eddie Moore, Jr., and Marguerite W. Penick. She has also written about the importance of Tribal Land Acknowledgments for Embracing Equity.

Since 2000, Claudia has been on the board of the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (https://www.mcnaa.org/). 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 Taíno People (UCTP), headquartered in New York (http://uctp.blogspot.com/). UCTP spans the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the United States, and beyond, and is dedicated to promoting and protecting the human rights, cultural heritage, and spiritual traditions of Taíno and other Caribbean Indigenous Peoples, while supporting the social, economic, educational, cultural, and spiritual development of its citizens. Claudia is a tribal council member of the iukaieke Guainia Taíno-Arawak Tribal Community.

In 2024, Claudia was recognized by MassLive as one of the leaders in Massachusetts' Indigenous community for bringing Indigenous perspectives into teaching.

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 the Ad Club for helping create a more equitable Boston as a “Mentoring Champion” on its Equity Project Honor Roll.

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

Claudia is the proud mother of five adult children and two affectionate cats (Luna and Bagheera). She currently lives on land cared for by the Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), Pawtucket, Nipmuc, Wampanoag, and Agawam, the past, present, and future knowledge keepers of this land.

Who are the Arawak?

 

The Arawak are an Indigenous Nation who, at one time, ranged from Florida through the Caribbean to northern South America. They are still here today, living across the world and continuing to pass on their ancestors' traditions, stories, and culture to the next generation. Arawak beliefs are grounded in the lands of their ancestors, shaped by unique climates, plants, and animals. Many words in the English language come from Taíno-Arawak origins. These words reflect inventions, foods, and ways of living, and include: barbecue, cacique, canoe, cigar, hammock, hurricane, and tobacco.

In 1492, 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 second voyage in 1493, he returned with 17 ships and approximately 1,500 men, including farmers, masons, soldiers, carpenters, ironworkers, and priests, along with 20 trained mastiffs and greyhounds. He brought seeds, plants, and domesticated animals such as cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs, which profoundly altered the environment. His ships also carried chains, medallions, and branding irons. Columbus came with the intention to enslave, setting a precedent for later conquistadors—one marked by genocide, cultural destruction, and environmental harm.

The Arawak survived and continue to carry forward their cultural traditions. Yurumein is the traditional name for the island now known as Saint Vincent.

Resume Highlights

Selected Host Organizations over the Past 10 years:

  • 2025: National Educator Association (NEA) Conference on Racial and Social Justice (Portland, OR); CARE (Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity) in collaboration with the Great Schools Partnership (Remote)

  • 2024: Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) 45th Annual Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee (EMAC) Conference (Framingham, MA); National Educator Association (NEA) Conference on Racial and Social Justice (Philadelphia, PA)

  • 2023: Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) 44th Annual Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee (EMAC) Conference (Framingham, MA); Essex County Greenbelt (Haverhill, MA); Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center (Ipswich, MA); Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC) Annual Conference - Keynote Speaker (Nagoya, Japan); University of California (Santa Cruz, CA)

  • 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)

Selected 12-15 Hour Courses

  • 2020-2024: Decolonizing Anti-Racism: Deepening Conversation Skills – 12.5 Hours, 1 In-Service Credit (Winchester, Somerville, Hingham)

  • 2020-2022: Decolonizing Curriculum: Developing the Counter Narrative – 12.5 Hours, 1 In-Service Credit (Winchester, Nantucket, Lowell)

Selected Curriculum Consultation:

  • 2024: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Sloan Business School

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

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

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

Selected Interviews/Videos:

Selected Publications:

  • Fox Tree, C. A. (2026). Braiding identity through code-switching and Two-Eyed Seeing. In A. Ragland, E. Moore, Jr., & M. W. Penick (Eds.), Exploring racial code-switching in education: Unapologetic perspectives and actionable strategies. Routledge.

  • Fox Tree, C. A. (2023). Ableism, Visualism, and Audism Privilege. Native American Resources.

  • Fox Tree, C. A. (2021). Tribal Land Acknowledgments - What They Are and Why We Need to Do Them. Embracing Equity.

  • 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.

Related Organization Websites

 

Cultura Connector

At Cultura Connector, we believe in the power of transformative play to help individuals and communities heal, connect, and grow. That’s why we created GRIT (Games for Resilience and Interactive Transformation), a trauma-informed, culturally grounded program that uses live-action role-play (LARP), design thinking, and community storytelling to strengthen resilience for people of all ages.

From war-affected children in Gaza and Ukraine to fire-impacted neighborhoods in California, GRIT adapts to diverse realities, offering emotional relief, creative expression, and a path forward.

Upstander

Upstander Project uses storytelling to amplify silenced narratives, develop upstander skills to challenge systemic injustice, and nurture compassionate, courageous relationships that honor the interconnection of all beings and the Earth.

WHAT WE DO Upstander Project produces Emmy® Award-winning documentary films, creates learning resources, facilitates educator workshops, and impact campaigns. Built around our films and learning resources, our educational programming aims to create opportunities for deep engagement for K-12 classroom teachers, museum professionals, faith leaders, public sector workers and officials, and community educators. We hope to inspire and guide them to create more inclusive curricula, schools, public spaces and conversations, so that in turn, they influence others to become truth-tellers and upstanders.

 

MASS and IDEAS: Initiatives for Developing Equity & Achievement for Students

Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students (IDEAS) is under programs housed with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS). IDEAS/ MASS is 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 to help 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.