A Call For Support

For over 14 years, Huy has worked to ensure that Indigenous relatives in “state iron houses” remain connected to the cultural and spiritual practices that foster healing, accountability, and belonging. Our approach is grounded in a simple truth: rehabilitation must center restoration—of spirit, identity, and community.

The political foundation for our work was laid in the 1970s, when, during the Red Power movement, local Native American leaders and activists fought to create religious and rehabilitative opportunities for their relatives incarcerated in Washington state prisons.

Today, through our Indigenous Circles program, we provide sweat lodge ceremonies, drum circles, and individual and group prayer throughout state prison facilities. These are not symbolic activities—they are culturally rooted therapeutic interventions that help participants process trauma, rebuild identity, and prepare for meaningful reentry.

And these activities work. They have helped—we are helping—bend the statewide Indigenous recidivism trendline downward, from 45% in 2017 to 31% most recently.  

In this increasingly cynical world, we are now poised to tell this story of Indigenous resilience, healing, and hope.

Huy has partnered with the University of Washington Prison History Project to produce a feature documentary, which will involve unprecedented filming within Washington State Penitentiary and other state carceral sites this spring.

We are reaching out to our network of supporters to raise funds to complete the filming, editing, and production of the documentary "Resilience Inside: The Fight for Indigenous Religious Freedom in Washington Prisons."  

We are grateful to have already received support for the production from the Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, Tulalip, and Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribes, as well as Look2Justice.

The impact of this work is and will be measurable and lasting: personal empowerment, improved emotional well-being, stronger cultural connection, and reduced recidivism. Most importantly, our incarcerated relatives will return home better prepared to reintegrate into their communities with pride, purpose, and stability.

Our work is trusted, community-led, and proven. We invite you to partner with us in telling this important historical story and advancing a restorative model of justice that centers Indigenous knowledge and strengthens the future of our communities.

Please join us in this work. You can Donate above.