We all have stories, and our stories matter. Do you know yours?

Join this conversation with Edgar and DWP/Liberated Capital supporter Rachel Gelman about the story of her path of repair and redistribution and how this can help all of us in our similar journeys.

From Rachel:

Levi Strauss was my great great great great grand uncle, and because he did not have children of his own, my family line was the heir to the Levi Strauss fortune. As a kid, I was told the classic American story about Levi Strauss: he was a poor immigrant who pulled himself up by his bootstraps and set his family up for prosperity for generations.

Levi Strauss came to this land to participate in the gold rush and built his business by making pants for the gold miners. In the 20 years after Levi Strauss arrived in California, 80-90% of the indigenous population in California was killed through genocide. My privilege and access to resources today is because of this legacy of colonialism and violence.

I believe we can’t get free as a people without speaking with honesty and clarity about how we’ve been complicit in the oppression of other people and in the erasure of their stories, their cultures, and their lives.

I don’t need a white-washed version of my family’s history to feel grounded in where I come from or proud of the resilience of my community. I feel proud and resilient right now, standing in solidarity with indigenous people and pledging to tell our stories together.