2018-2019 Charles Eastman Fellow: Kaitlin Reed

Kaitlin Reed (Yurok/Hupa/Oneida) is an enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe in northwestern California. She obtained her B.A. degree in Geography at Vassar College and her M.A. degree in Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis. Kaitlin is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Native American Studies at UC Davis. Her dissertation is entitled From Gold Rush to Green Rush: Marijuana Cultivation on Yurok Tribal Lands and examines the ecological and cultural impacts of marijuana cultivation on Yurok tribal lands, with a focus on tribal sovereignty and environmental justice. This dissertation connects the historical and ecological dots between the Gold Rush and the Green Rush, focusing on capitalistic resource extraction and violence against indigenous lands and bodies.