This blog post contains events from March 2026, including the Blue Corn Festival, Phoenix Indian Center Tour, Community Garden Workshop at West Valley Gardens, and the 2026 Prayer Run.
Blue Corn Festival at AZ Humanities
Saturday, March 7
The Labriola Center tabled at the AZ Humanities Blue Corn Festival where we met with Indigenous artists, chefs, and organizations from across Arizona state, some even traveling as far as New Mexico!
Program Coordinator Yitazba Largo-Anderson had the opportunity to help volunteer with set-up and interview various Indigenous entrepreneurs, such as "Maiz y Machete Poeta," "Leading the Way Magazine," "Trauma Recovery Services of Arizona," "The Chaha'oh," "Toasted Sister," "Chubby Hands Creations," "Simply Mariah," and more.
"I enjoyed the diversity in Indigenous creativity and entrepreneurship–it was really wonderful and inspiring hearing everyone's stories on why they started their business. A lot of people said they did not see representation within their community and businesses at large, so they took initiative to put their names and contributions out into the world! I hope that other young Indigenous peoples see this as an opportunity to pave the way for their dreams and aspirations, because their way of life matters and has every right to shine as bright as possible."
In addition to the Blue Corn Festival, Yitazba got to attend Dr. Manny Loley's final workshop series, Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories. Read about the series in the dedicated blog post here.
Phoenix Indian Center with Office of American Indian Initiatives Tour and Visit
Friday, March 20
In collaboration with the Office of American Indian Initiatives, the Labriola Center gave a tour and presentation on the history of the Labriola Center and its services for Indigenous students and community members. Library Aide Colton Jim (Diné) led a tour to the Phoenix Indian Center students.
Seeds of Memory: How a Navajo Student is Planting Culture and Community at ASU
March 20th 2026 - West Valley Gardens
Working with West Valley Gardens volunteer staff as they hosted Chandlee Begay’s Three Sisters planting event was extremely fulfilling. We used pickaxes and shovels to dig up the hard Arizona dirt and planted 5 Yucca plants around the perimeter of West Valley Gardens as they work to expand. Chandlee added Yucca seeds to continue the growth forward. We celebrated our hard work with pizza a some cold drinks to fight the heat.
Chandlee Begay, a Diné student at ASU and frequent user of the Labriola Center's services, was featured in an ASU News article about his planting workshops. Read the story.
Prayer Run
Saturday, March 28
"Nature blessed our runners with beautiful weather. As I drove toward Red Mountain with Mafi Pamaka and Elena Dominguez, we watched in awe as the sun rose, a perfect crimson and yellow circle, above the horizon. The skies were covered in an orange and gray haze, blocking out the summer sun's rays until the afternoon when the heat rose at its hottest around 2 p.m. I am always humbled and amazed that at a 40 minute drive away from the urban city, an ecosystem that has been alive and in existence before time immemorial thrives and survives in the protection of O'odham territory. Our footprints are blessings to the ancestors who have walked before us, who continue their caretaking of this desert daily through wind and breath. When I breathe, I am at one breath with all my relations: the saguaro, the creosote, the arid breeze, the bald eagles, hummingbirds, palo verde trees. I am at one breath with the people who live within this desert, this desert which includes the concrete city scape of so-called Phoenix, Arizona. How is a desert capable of holding 1.6 million residents? That is why we ran. We ran for prayer, for the people, the plants, the land. Land is always relative. We all are a part of an ecosystem which we cannot see. Star beings are connected to us. Plant beings are connected to us. Animal beings are connected to us. Human beings are connected to us. Land, living beings, are connected to us. Running will test your body and mind's limits. Your mind will play tricks on you, talk down to you, tell you that you cannot go any further. But you are not alone. You are surrounded by spirits. The prayer stick which is living, carried in a sacred manner, moves you and us forward. Speak to yourself also in a loving manner. When you feel small, insignificant, look inwards: I will go and do more."
-Written by Yitazba Largo-Anderson
"My third Labriola prayer run was another great experience and this time around, I opened myself to a different perspective. In the previous two years, I connected with the cultural aspect of the Prayer Run . It viewed the community approach and how the experience ties into Indigenous culture or more specifically, deepens kinship. I realized kinship moves beyond connecting with people. Kinship connects our humanity to nature, your internal thoughts, and your intention. The Prayer Run was not a test of your personal abilities or your personal health, but more so benevolence to non-human and human beings carried forward through selfless acts. Throughout the day, I kept in mind kindness, which took form in gestures from my peers, the landscape and its creations, and positive thoughts. The physical and mental effort required a vast amount of endurance. Enduring the discomfort, the uncertainties, and other negative attributes throughout the run paved the way for gratitude and in words only described in Indigenous languages. The Prayer Run exerted a strong sense of meditation, appreciation, and gratitude not just to myself but to life and all its creations."
- Colton Jim
"Overcast clouds preceded the morning sun, like a pencil hole punched through a cotton-lined enclosure. A few moments after dawn with birds chattering and the dew spotted anew, Ron, a healer and community member of the Tohono O'odham Nation said that one step is a prayer, and the other a blessing.
I was not running today. Being a passenger and driver, I thought about how much ambiently exists outside our periphery; the mountains, the birds, other people in other cities and other reservations. Hiking and running centers your focus to the next step, because the path will deviate in the changing landscape. We arrived from mountainous soil, gravel, dirt, asphalt, concrete, grass, asphalt and concrete again, traversed soil from a relative mountain and asphalt and concrete once more, and returned to the mountain soil of their most southern relative, called the Greasy One.
When we rested in between, it allowed a reprieve to think about how infrastructure and design mold our behavior. For example, what is a legal entrance and exit, procedures for entering a space, what kind of behavior is allowed in the environment, and ambient visual indicators for separation of class, coming from a place of abundant native vegetation and worn trails to swaths of flat grass and barriers of movement."
- Elena Dominguez
“This year was my first year running in the Labriola Prayer Run. I was excited to spend an entire day with the community with the intention of supporting and uplifting one another. My favorite part of the day was just being with the land. We started at Red Mountain. I spent the entire morning focusing on my breathing and vision. As an Urban Native, I spend so much time in the city so it was special for me to have an entire morning dedicated to just being with the land. Being with the land has always been incredibly healing for me. It was even more special to be there with my community and friends. Although I’m not O'odham, I appreciated being invited and welcomed by the tribe to participate in their ceremonies.
When we ended the day at South Mountain, there was something within me that shifted. I felt complete in that present moment. I was exhausted, but I was so proud of everyone and myself for finishing the run. South Mountain is one of my favorite places to go to just be with the land. I usually go by myself, which is usually my preferable experience. Though this time around, it meant a lot to be there celebrating the land with my community. The Prayer Run reminded me to continuously seek grit and motivation within myself, to lean on the people in my life, and to always be looking forward. I sincerely enjoyed being a part of the day and I’m looking forward to participating in years to come.”
-Lainey Tsosie
The annual Prayer Run hosted by The Labriola National American Indian Data Center is a time of renewal, not only for the seasons but also for those of us who are fortunate enough to participate in one way or another. Although I was only working as an assistant to the runners this year, I felt the energy shifting from winter to summer in each student and community member who stayed with us during this event. As we passed community members living in Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community their encouraging presence pushed our runners to continue through the growing heat of the day. Making it through the city where so many lives spend the working hours of their day was probably the toughest stretch for our runners but in the end we made it to our destination at Muhaḍagĭ Doʼag. It was here we were met with a beautiful surprise by Tohono O'odham Vice Chairwoman Carla Johnson who joined us in prayer to complete our journey.
-Mafi Pamaka
Stay tuned for upcoming events by visiting our webpage.