This Land Has Always Been Home: Honoring Indigenous Presence, Native Futures, and Our Shared Responsibility
Photo: A sign located on Alcatraz Island.
For more than 170 years now, the YMCA of Greater San Francisco has been anchoring and
weaving connections throughout this region. When we first opened our doors in 1853
(above a rented room overlooking Portsmouth Square), San Francisco was a fast-growing
and unpredictable place shaped by the gold-rush-spurred fever of possibility. Since then,
through wars, earthquakes and social upheavals, for many, the Y has been a steady
presence amongst that chaos. A force for good. A champion of human dignity. A place of
belonging.
And yet, even with that formidable legacy, we must recognize that its but a small chapter in
the thousands-years-long history of humans making home here in the Bay. It is critical that
we ask ourselves questions like: what (and who) was here before us; who are we including
in our mission of building equitable communities for all generations; how do we responsibly
go about cultivating belonging in a place with many cycles of rampant displacement?
For more than 10,000 years, the regions we now refer to as San Francisco, San Mateo, and
Marin counties have been the homelands of the Ramaytush Ohlone (aka Costanoan) and
Coast Miwok peoples. Peoples who are still here and who continue the hard work of loving
this place in the face of continued attempts at erasure.
As we honor Native American Heritage Month, we want to foreground a simple truth: to
build healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities, we must take the time to learn the
full and complex story of the land beneath our feet and of the people who have always
called it home.
A Season of Giving?
While for many of us the month of November represents a beautiful time of gratitude and
honoring family; for many others this time signifies an entirely different history. Native
communities across the country have long called attention to the painful and ongoing
impacts of colonization. Here in the Bay Area, this time of year carries a unique and
powerful story of resistance.
Beginning on November 20, 1969—during the week of Thanksgiving—a group of Indigenous
students and community leaders from across the country occupied Alcatraz Island. Calling
themselves the “Indians of All Tribes,” they reclaimed the island for 19 months, asserting
that unused federal land should return to Native stewardship, as promised under treaty
law.
The Occupation of Alcatraz, the third of its kind, became a watershed moment in modern
Indigenous activism. It reshaped national policy, sparked a wave of cultural and political
resurgence, and affirmed something Indigenous peoples of this region have always known:
Native presence is ongoing, powerful, and central to the future of this land.
The movement’s legacy lives on each Thanksgiving in the early morning, when thousands
gather for the Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony on Alcatraz—honoring ancestors,
celebrating resilience, and affirming the living presence of Indigenous peoples in the Bay
Area. This ceremony is not centered on loss, but on endurance, community, sovereignty,
and the future being built right now.
You can learn about to join this year’s gathering in our “Additional Resources” section.
Moving Forward Together
As we reflect during Native American Heritage Month, we honor the Ramaytush Ohlone
and Coast Miwok peoples—the original stewards of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin
counties. Their presence is not history; it is a living relationship with this land and its
communities.
At the YMCA of Greater San Francisco, we remain committed to building places where
people of all backgrounds can be, belong, and become. Honoring Indigenous communities
is part of that commitment and an essential part of creating a future rooted in dignity,
connection, and shared responsibility.
This land has always been home and together, we can help ensure it remains a place where
all people and all communities can thrive.
Additional Resources
EXPLORE
Alcatraz Island | Ceremony | Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Sunrise Gathering
Thursday, November 27
6:00am – 9:00am
Note: Advance tickets have sold out. 500 will be available for purchase in-person day of. If
you are unable to acquire tickets, you can also listen live to the event via KPFA
Alcatraz Island | Exhibit | Welcome to Indian Land
Ongoing
Open park hours
SF MOMA | Presentation | American Indian Cultural District: Indigenize SF
Exhibit closes Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025
Open museum hours
LISTEN
East Bay Yesterday | Podcast | Filling in the Blanks of the Bay’s Native History
KQED Arts | Video | Native American Occupation of Alcatraz Captured in Rare Footage
Native American History | Video | The Takeover of Alcatraz 1969
READ
KQED | Article | You’re On Native Land
National Parks Service | Article | Ohlones and Coast Miwoks
Service95 | Article | Photographs Taking You into the 1969 Native Resistance at Alcatraz
