May 28th, 2020 - Episode 004
Kali “K.O” Mequinonoag Reis, Seaconke Wampanoag and Cherokee Nations & Owl, Ramapough Munsee Lenape NationWe will be speaking with Kali “K.O” Mequinonoag Reis and Owl. Kali, Seaconke Wampanoag and Cherokee Nations, is the first mixed Native American Female World Champion Boxer. Owl, Ramapough Munsee Lenape Nation, is an attorney working at the intersection of human rights, Indigenous rights and the environment.The Seaconke Wampanoag and Ramapough Munsee Lenape Nations are not federally recognized, though they are recognized by the states that engross their territories. We will discuss the ongoing fight for sovereignty with the understanding that there are many pitfalls to federal recognition but why it is necessary to protect land rights. This is an important conversation considering the current crisis the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation is facing as their land trust has been revoked during COVID-19. An important part of this discussion will delve into what it is like to be Indigenous after 400 + years of living with European and African ancestry.
Steven Smith (Owl) - Son of William Alfred Smith, Esquire, who spent his early childhood in the Ramapo mountains and grandson of Ira Smith, professor and educator from Hillburn, NY. Steven D. Smith received his bachelor of arts in political science from the University of California at Santa Cruz and his doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Smith studied Mexican culture and history as a Pacific Rim scholar of the University of California for which he wrote an essay on an afro-mestizo community on the pacific coast of Mexico. Mr. Smith has traveled and lived extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean including Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Guyana and Ecuador. Mr. Smith has taught and lectured on a wide variety of subjects including business law at Virginia Tech, science, technology and law for Virginia Tech and the University of Richmond School of Law, and introductory law for high school students. He has lectured on diverse subjects such as telecommunications policy, trade policy, environmental law, and the human rights of indigenous people. Steven Smith is a member of the California bar and Virginia bar of attorneys. Mr. Smith has assisted Navajo, Tohono O’odham, and Guyanese villagers with major environmental issues in national courts and before Congress and the United Nations.
Kali “K.O” Mequinonoag Reis - The first mixed Native American Female World Champion Boxer. Kali (Kaylee) has racked up a 16-7-5kos record, three WORLD titles in the Middleweight division and is currently ranked #1 in the US & #2 in the world in the Welterweight Division. She has traveled all around the world to compete proudly representing who she is as a mixed Indigenous woman and was the FIRST Female Boxing match to be aired on HBO May 5, 2018 with over 1.4 Millions viewers. Raised in a single parent household by her mother Patricia “ Gentle Rain, she is the youngest of five children. Mequinonoag, meaning “Many Feathers, Many Talents” is her Native name given to her by her mother. Kali’s mixed background includes lineage from the Seaconke Wampanoag, Cherokee and Nipmuc tribes as well as ancestry from the Cape Verde Islands."Boxing is how I pray, every punch is a prayer". Kali started in boxing as a means to express herself through some very difficult & trying times surrounding identity, victimization, societal acceptance and the absence of her father around the age of 13. What started as a means to let anger out turned into a much more meaningful journey for Kali. She has taken her "fight" beyond the ropes. Kali also works as a residential counselor at St Marys Home for Children mentoring young girls ages 12-18. Her experiences as a young girl motivates her to be a beacon of positivity and hope for these young girls. Kali is also an advocate for ALL young adults, especially in Native Country. Kali has a passion for those struggling with addiction, suicide, depression, genetic genocide as well as MMIW movement. She hopes to continue to use her platform she has build with her gift of boxing to continue to shed light on what Indigenous peoples have been fighting against for centuries. FIGHT4ALLNATIONS is Kali "KO's" slogan and it is what she will continue to do however she needs to for the people.