Shine a Light Speaker Series
The series is led by UAF Northwest Campus, UAF Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability, and the Nanook Diversity and Action Center and is open to ALL! Thanks for being here! Join us on the third Tuesday of every month for a new speaker and topic.



Current events

with Joan Ryan Estay
Tuesday, Sept. 19, Noon-1pm, via Zoom
Over the last decade, Latinos made up 46% of the state's population growth. Today,
they account for 7.3% of the state's populationand are the second biggest minority
group, after Alaska Natives. So, what are their needs, challenges, joys, and why do
they stay in the Last Frontier?
Joan Ryan Estay (two last names), originally from Viña Del Mar, Chile, is the Board President of Enlaces; a Hispanic/Latino non-profit
in Alaska. Joan holds a BA in performing arts, an associate's degree in health and
natural therapy, and an MBA in Strtegic Leadership. She is a Program Coordinator for
the Healthy and Equitable Communities Unity for the State of Alaska and is an Adjunct
Faculty member in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at UAF.
Past events
Murdered/Missing Indigenous Persons
May 16, 2023
Lonny Piscoya
Alaska Native, Native American, and Native Hawaiian people experience disproportionally
high rates of violence, murder, and disappearances. In 2021, the Alaska Bureau of
Investigation created the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Initiative
to address active and cold case missing and murdered persons cases. Current MMIP Investigator
Lonny Piscoya will share details about the initiative, their work, and how they’re
working to bring closure to families and communities across Alaska.
Lonny Piscoya is Inupiaq Eskimo and was born and raised in Nome, Alaska. Piscoya has
over 25-years of experience in law enforcement and recently came out of retirement
fall 2022 to serve as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Investigator for
the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.
Video Forthcoming
Sivuqaq, Toxins, & Research
April 18, 2023
Vi Waghiyi
The Yupik people of Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island) report high rates of cancer, thyroid
disease, diabetes, heart disease, and birth defects. One cause may be persistent toxic
pollutants related to abandoned military installations from the Cold War era. Hear
how collaborative community-based research is helping to identify contaminants and
find solutions.
Vi Waghiyi is from Savoonga on Sivuqaq. She started working for Alaska Community Action
on Toxics (ACAT) in 2004. Vi is a nationally recognized environmental justice leader
and has devoted her life to bring environmental health & justice to her Sivuqaq Yupik
People and the people of the Arctic.
Video Forthcoming
Co-Production of Knowledge: Critical Reflection on Arctic Research
March 21, 2023
Margaret Anamaq Rudolf
Death by 1000 cuts: Surviving in a World of Microaggressions & Marginality
February 21, 2023
Traci Gatewood
International Law of Colonialism in Alaska
January 17, 2023
Robert Miller
Art as Storytelling
December 6, 2022
Jenny Irene Miller
Indigenous Representation in Media
November 15, 2022
Alice Glenn
Lost Alaskans: The Morningside Hospital Project
October 18, 2022
Robin Renfroe
Ladawan: Making Images
September 20, 2022
JR Ancheta
5 C's of Healing Centered Engagement
June 21, 2022
Dr. LaVerne Xilegg Demientieff
Decolonizing the Classroom - Critical Reflections on Equity & Inclusion
May 17, 2022
Dr. Jessica Black
Footprints for the Future
March 22, 2022
Carol Seppilu
Black Organizing in Alaska
February 15, 2022
Alyssa Quintyne
Preserving & Teaching Inupiat: Renewing Relationships to the Land and Each Other
January 18, 2022
Roy Apaagzuk Agloinga
Truth and Healing: Alaska's Native Boarding Schools
November 16, 2021
Jim LaBelle
Data for Indigenous Justice: Addressing MMIWG2S in Alaska
September 21, 2021
Charlene Aqpik Apok
Lifting the Veil: Colonization, Critical Consciousness and Community Development in Rural Alaska
September 21, 2021
Charlene Stern
The Queer Art of Holding Still
August 23, 2021
Jonathan VanDyke
Beyond Stonewall: Past and Present Movements for LGBTQ+ Equality
June 21, 2021
Ronnie Houchin
The Complexities of Anti-Asian Racism
May 17, 2021
E.J.R. David
Finding Value at Home
April 19, 2021
Ana Hoffman
Who Is Elizabeth Peratrovich, Our Alaska Native Civil Rights Leader?
March 29, 2021
Jaquline Kus.een Pata
Black in Hindsight: A Review of Black History in Alaska
February 22, 2021
Jo Malbert Narváez
Uncivilized: A Context for Alaska Native Equity
January 25, 2021
Former UAF Vice Chancellor Evon Peter.