Upstander Project

Upstander Project Emmy® award-winning Boston-based educational and filmmaking collaborative. (DAWNLAND, BOUNTY + more)

Creators of the documentary films "Coexist" (2010, reconciliation in Rwanda) "First Light" (2015) and Emmy®-winner "Dawnland" (2018, Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission)

WHO WE SERVE

We serve mass and targeted audiences by challenging indifference to injustice and raising awareness of the need for upstanders, especially among middle- and high-school educators a

nd their students. WHAT WE DO

With original documentaries, related learning resources, and educator workshops, the Upstander Project helps teachers and students become upstanders. OUR GOALS

Overcome indifference to social injustice;
Develop the skills of upstanders;
Contribute to action-oriented campaigns in response to vital social issues.

The 11th annual Upstander Academy for educators concluded last month and was a great success. Participants from across M...
08/28/2026

The 11th annual Upstander Academy for educators concluded last month and was a great success. Participants from across Maine and Massachusetts gathered on Wabanaki homelands and in Boston for seven days of unlearning, learning, and community. A major highlight was an 11-mile paddle on the Penobscot River led by Wabanaki river guide and knowledge-sharer Jason Pardilla. Participants felt the inseparable bonds between people, land, and waterways. Everyone was deeply moved. We are full of gratitude to so many of you who support this work through your contributions.

Learn more about the Academy: https://upstanderproject.org/learn/upstander-academy-2026

After conducting their food, health and cultural work on leased and borrowed land since 2017 as the Eastern Woodlands Re...
08/25/2026

After conducting their food, health and cultural work on leased and borrowed land since 2017 as the Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective, the women- and two-spirit-led group of health professionals and educators took title to a former horse and cattle ranch with 245 acres of fields, forests and wetlands in “so-called Swanville” as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Niweskok. That translates to “dried seeds for planting” and also “spirit or essence of life” in Penobscot, adapted for their purposes into “From the Stars to Seeds.” Niweskok will steward its returned land in perpetuity. Reading stories like this brings joy and hope. Share them with your communities to show the impact of local change.

Learn more about Niweskok: https://www.midcoastvillager.com/news/niweskok-is-bringing-the-land-back/article_3e398228-c79b-4827-8dcf-d19462046a57.html

In June, Camden Rockport Middle School (CRMS) installed new Wabanaki language and historical signage at the Camden Publi...
08/14/2026

In June, Camden Rockport Middle School (CRMS) installed new Wabanaki language and historical signage at the Camden Public Library and Camden Harbor. “The project originated in 2024 when then-fifth-grade students Colton and Mateo questioned the lack of Wabanaki signage in the Camden area…. To ensure historical and linguistic accuracy, students collaborated with Wabanaki experts, including James Eric Francis, Sr., the director of Cultural and Historic Preservation and Tribal Historian for the Penobscot Nation, and Gabe Paul, a Penobscot linguist. Mr. Francis served as the lead researcher and designer for the signage, while Mr. Paul provided critical translation work.” We love seeing news stories like this and look forward to more from around the country!

Learn more about the new signs: https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/camden-rockport-middle-school-students-unveil-wabanaki-signage-camden-harbor-library/270882

The 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Watertown was commemorated in Watertown on July 18, 2026. Native leaders from Nov...
08/11/2026

The 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Watertown was commemorated in Watertown on July 18, 2026. Native leaders from Nova Scotia and Maine, as well as descendants of those who signed the treaty, attended this historic celebration. As Andrew Denny, Kji-Keptin of the Mi’kmaq, said, when the new nation sought allies, “they looked north to the sovereign, historic powers of this land, the nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy.” We hope the people of Watertown have many conversations about how to nurture their reciprocal relationship with the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoq peoples for centuries to come.

Learn more about the treaty: https://www.watertownmanews.com/2026/07/21/treaty-day-250-pact-signed-in-watertown-in-1776-remains-alive-250-years-later/

In June, the town of Holden, “a largely white, affluent suburban community, ten minutes northwest of Worcester, in the h...
08/07/2026

In June, the town of Holden, “a largely white, affluent suburban community, ten minutes northwest of Worcester, in the heart of Nipmuc homelands, affirmed the Town of Holden’s decision to call upon their Republican state legislators, retiring representative Kimberly Ferguson and retrograde senator Peter Durant, to change the flag and seal.” (Detmold). Learn more about this fight from Change The Mass Flag. And if you are a Massachusetts resident, we encourage you to reach out to your representative today to tell them to join the fight in changing this harmful image.

Visit Change The Mass Flag’s site: https://changethemassflag.com/

We are deep in the edit of We Sing Nonetheless and looking forward to sharing more soon. In this music driven film follo...
08/04/2026

We are deep in the edit of We Sing Nonetheless and looking forward to sharing more soon. In this music driven film follow Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg on the road with their Americana band and toddler, juggling musicmaking, marriage and parenthood. The film explores what they struggle to build when the world tries to pull them apart. Want to see behind the scenes pics and videos and join the journey with us? Check out the new Instagram and Facebook accounts!
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesingnonetheless/
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590838852187

You can find a new timeline available for free on our website: Scalp Bounties Targeting Tribal Nations Before, During an...
07/31/2026

You can find a new timeline available for free on our website: Scalp Bounties Targeting Tribal Nations Before, During and After the Revolutionary War. A compilation of scalp bounties and campaigns carried out before, during and after the Revolutionary War by “Patriot” and British-aligned forces, it introduces readers to bounties promised by military officials and political appointees that incentivized scalping, captivity, dispossession, and campaigns of ethnic cleansing that targeted Tribal Nations throughout and beyond the thirteen colonies. During the Revolution tribal citizens faced increased settler violence and displacement and Native communities had to make excruciating choices about how best to protect their peoples, homelands, and sovereignty; would they participate in the war or resist calls to become involved?

Access the timeline: https://upstanderproject.org/learn/storymaps-and-walking-tours/rev-war

Our July newsletter is out with programming updates and noteworthy news. If you’re not on our list please join us https:...
07/28/2026

Our July newsletter is out with programming updates and noteworthy news. If you’re not on our list please join us https://bit.ly/UPcommunity!

The Watertown Free Public Library hosted a program examining Indigenous perspectives on the origins of the American Revo...
07/28/2026

The Watertown Free Public Library hosted a program examining Indigenous perspectives on the origins of the American Revolution on July 15, 2026.

The event featured Watertown resident Mishy Lesser, co-founder of the Pigsgusset Initiative and Upstander Project, alongside Passamaquoddy author, educator, musician, and knowledge keeper Chris Newell, Mi’kmaq educator and musician Graham Marshall, and Upstander Project public historian Kristine Malpica.

Watch the full panel discussion here: https://www.wcatv.org/post/treatyofwatertown

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