Assistant Professor Ramona Beltrán, MSW, PhD, is a mixed race Xicana of Yaqui and Mexica descent and dancer/activist/scholar. Her scholarship is committed to interrupting legacies of historical trauma that affect Indigenous communities. She focuses on disrupting the problem-focused approach to understanding health and well-being that is profuse in mainstream research. Beltrán does this by centering culture, resilience, resistance, healing and arts-based and storytelling methods in collaborative knowledge production with and for Indigenous communities.
Ofrendas’ programming draws upon traditions passed on for thousands of years and the creative spirit of community to activate the digital space in educational ways, while co-creating and sharing in a culture of learning.
