American Artscape Notable Quotable: Heather Fleming (Diné/Navajo) of Change Labs
Heather Fleming (Diné/Navajo), Executive Director, Change Labs. Photo by Raymond Chee (Diné/Navajo)
“If we look at what Indigenous entrepreneurship looked like before White people came, it didn't look like Silicon Valley at all and it was rooted in reciprocity. What that translates into is how we measure success of business activity. Of course, we talk about the importance of making money, but our goal isn't to get people set up to make the most money possible, because we know that's not our traditional value. We do measure the things that are directly tied to our theory of change, and that is increasing human capital, increasing social capital, access to physical and financial capital, and increasing economic agency.” — Heather Fleming (Diné/Navajo)
Change Labs, a Native-led nonprofit, is reshaping the landscape of entrepreneurship on tribal land in Shiprock, New Mexico, and Tuba City, Arizona—providing free work spaces that support the advancement of artists, vendors, and entrepreneurs within Native communities. in 2019, Change Labs was established as the Navajo Nation's first coworking and business incubation center. For the new issue of American Artscape, co-founder Heather Fleming spoke to us about the genesis of Change Labs, its growth from one-off events to a non-profit, and how Native values inform the program’s structure and the way they measures success.
