7 Questions for Rosa Blumenfeld-Romero
Rosa Blumenfeld-Romero is a writer, educator, and founder of Reclaiming Indigeneity LLC and Casa Romero, a decolonization retreat center and land back project. Her writing explores reclaiming her Indigenous Muisca roots as someone raised Colombian and Jewish. Drawing on the “coming home” framework learned from Native elders and Indigenous mentors, she teaches others to undo the effects of assimilation and embody Indigenous values.
Rosa holds a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations from the University of Toronto. Trained as a popular educator in the Paulo Freire tradition during her years as a union organizer (2006–2014), Rosa has delivered decolonization curricula to teens in Boston Public Schools, adults in Boston Public Libraries, and audiences across Jewish communities and BIPOC spaces. She serves as a racial justice partner and certified Mikveh Guide at Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters, where she authored the ceremonies In Solidarity with Indigenous Communities and For Palestinian Life, and co-authored In Generational Gratitude for Jewish Women of Color.
She is currently writing Underprotected and Overexposed, a memoir weaving personal story with decolonization teachings. JWA recently sat down with Rosa to discuss Reclaiming Indigeneity and her relationships with ritual.
Emma Breitman: Can you tell us a bit about Reclaiming Indigeneity and what inspired you to found the organization?
Rosa Blumenfeld-Romero: I was inspired to start Reclaiming Indigeneity through my own coming-home journey. I was raised Colombian and in the Jewish community rather than as part of my Indigenous Muisca nation. My Indigenous Rroma mentor (Jennileen Joseph of Sastimos Holistic Health) suggested I bring together the popular education and organizing skills I had learned in the labor movement with the lessons I had been applying to reconnect with my Indigenous roots. That combination gave birth to Reclaiming Indigeneity. It is an educational community for people who are searching for ways to undo assimilation—whether from chosen or forced migration—and who want to learn from Indigenous wisdom. We train people to become responsible community members, to live according to Indigenous values, and to move through the world with honesty, integrity, and beauty.
EB: Your workshops, trainings, and coaching opportunities are guided by the “Coming Home” framework. How did you develop this concept, and were there any essential texts or histories that you drew from?
RBR: I did not develop the Coming Home framework. It was gifted to me by a Native elder from Turtle Island who wishes to remain anonymous. Since 2014, I have simply done my best to live by it and to share these teachings. The framework has completely transformed my understanding of myself and the world. It is a profound honor to help place these teachings in the hands of people who need them.
EB: What role has community played in your own coming home work?
RBR: For me, the foundation of community is friendship. I offer that friendship to my students, colleagues, and the new people who enter my life through this work. Every time I teach, I learn something new—about myself, about where people are, and about how to deepen the work. That learning is possible because of the community we build in the classroom. I am also held by a wider circle of people who support me emotionally, financially, and spiritually as I continue my own journey home. I have been taught that coming-home work is full of nuance; it is easy to get lost or to misstep. For that reason and many others, I am deeply grateful for the community that keeps me accountable, keeps me smiling, and keeps me moving forward.
EB: In 2025, you opened your retreat space in Colombia. How has having physical ties to the land helped your work expand?
RBR: Being on the land of my ancestors is indescribable. The strength, clarity, and joy it brings me are gifts I am continually grateful for. The spiritual, emotional, and physical nourishment I receive here has allowed me to expand the work—from supporting Natives in reconnecting to welcoming everyone who wants to undo the effects of assimilation on themselves and their families. Living here has also deepened my teachings because it has advanced my own coming-home journey so far. It has allowed me to share the peace, happiness, and hope that comes with belonging.
EB: The retreat experience includes the option of mikveh immersion at a local waterfall. How has water allowed you to stay connected to your Judaism?
RBR: Water is part of our creation story as Indigenous Muisca people. It is sacred and must be protected because it is life itself. It is also one of the primary ways I still connect to Judaism—mikveh is such an ancient ritual. In the practice of mikveh, I have found space for Indigenous ways of relating to water while also expanding the ritual into an art practice, a community builder, and a sacred space.
EB: Are there any other rituals that have felt particularly grounding to your work of undoing assimilation?
RBR: Nature is my greatest teacher. When I go to the water, I don’t only do mikveh; I also meditate by sitting in the river, the swimming hole, or under the waterfall for up to twenty-five minutes. I pray as I walk the mountains and valleys where I live. I listen to what the wind, the rocks, and the trees have to tell me. I learn from the birds, the flowers, and all the beings around me about how to live.
EB: Are there any upcoming programs or opportunities offered through Reclaiming Indigeneity that you are particularly energized by?
RBR: As an artist, I am particularly inspired by the tranquility and beauty of this land. I am excited to share that with other artists by launching an international artists’ residency program. Applications open in September 2026 for residencies beginning in January 2027. Watch this space.
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