When Abby ended up at Alcatraz Island one cold winter night in his 20s, he had found himself at the epicenter of the Indian Pride Movement. It blew his mind and made him feel that he had come home to a part of himself that had been missing. 

Abby is an Indigenous Chicano leader who is part of the Yaqui tribe. It’s been 50 years since that night at Alcatraz, but it stands out as a turning point in his life. Together, we look back at his family history and the history of his people to reflect on Indigenous teachings, his family’s involvement in the monumental Brown v. Board of Education case, and his own participation in historic strikes like the Grape Boycott. Personally, our interview made me investigate my own identity as a Chicana and how I live out my values. But I believe anyone will walk away from this conversation drawing strength from those who came before us.

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