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The Public Square with Matika Wilbur

Changing The Way We See Native America

Join us for an exciting conversation with Matika Wilbur as she discusses Project 562 with Sedelta Oosahwee in recognition of Native American Heritage Month at MLK Library.

All images courtesy of Matika Wilbur © 2022. All rights reserved. 

Created by Matika Wilbur, Project 562 is a multi-year national photography project dedicated to photographing over 562 federally recognized Tribes, urban Native communities, Tribes fighting for federal recognition and Indigenous role models in what is currently known as the United States, resulting in an unprecedented repository of imagery and oral histories that accurately portrays contemporary Native Americans.

Matika will be live at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library to discuss Project 562. A limited amount of copies will be given to the first attendees to arrive (must be registered) thanks to the DC Public Library Foundation. 

For reasonable accommodations, please get in touch with the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days' notice.  

Recommended Reads

Looking for more titles from Indigenous authors? Check out our recommended reads on our Native American Heritage Month page

About the Book

A photographic and narrative celebration of contemporary Native American life and cultures, alongside an in-depth examination of issues that Native people face. The culmination of a decade-long art and storytelling endeavor, Project 562 is a peerless, sweeping, and moving love letter to Indigenous Americans, containing hundreds of stunning portraits and compelling personal narratives of contemporary Native people—all photographed in clothing, poses, and locations of their choosing.

About the Author 

Matika Wilbur is a critically acclaimed social documentarian and photographer from the Swinomish and Tulalip peoples of coastal Washington. Project 562, a crowdfunded initiative to visit, engage, and photograph people from over 562 sovereign Tribal Nations in North America, is her fourth major creative venture elevating Native American identity and culture. She co-hosts the All My Relations podcast with Dr. Adrienne Keene. She has offered over 300 keynotes at such places as Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Google, TED Talks, the National Education Association, and National Geographic Explorer, and is a regular contributor to the New York Times.

Meet the Conversation Partner

Sedelta Oosahwee (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation) is currently a Senior Program/Policy Analyst/Specialist with the National Education Association where she manages the American Indian/Alaska Native desk. In this role, she manages national partnerships, assists with outreach, and advises on policy. She was recently appointed by the Biden Administration to serve on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. Previously, she served in the Obama-Biden Administration as a Senior Advisor and Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Tribal Relations in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Before that, she was the Associate Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education. Prior to shifting her career focus to the national level, Oosahwee served as a Special Projects Officer at the Cherokee Nation and as Coordinator for Student Programs in the Center for Tribal Studies at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

 Oosahwee works closely with a number of higher education organizations and has assisted with grants and scholarships that are focused specifically on serving Indigenous students. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the National Indian Education Association and Speak Out: The Institute for Democratic Education and Culture. She has also served on the Technical Review Panel for the National Indian Education Study since 2018. In 2014, she was named one of the National Center for American Indian Economic Development’s 40 under 40. Oosahwee earned her undergraduate degree in Public Affairs and Administration and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

The Public Square is a conversation series from DC Public Library that aims to bring leaders and innovators to the Library to discuss the next phase of their work or scholarship. The series, initially launched in January 2023 in celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library's 50th anniversary, looks to explore the next frontier of equity through conversation and is presented in partnership with the DC Public Library Foundation.

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