NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Charmaine Nelson (626) 344-4325
Email: Charmainen@
CULTURAL THURSDAY EVENT AT PASADENA SENIOR CENTER NOVEMBER 5: EXPLORE GABRIELENO-TONGVA CULTURE AND ECOLOGY
Learn about the cultural traditions of the Gabrieleno-Tongva people, including their traditional food systems, maritime culture and ecological practices, in a Cultural Thursday event onsite at the Pasadena Senior Center on Thursday, November 5 at 2 p.m.
Presented by Samantha M. Johnson Yang, who serves as a Tribal Ecologist with the Gabrieleno-Tongva Band of Mission Indians, this event will explore the intricate relationship between Indigenous peoples’ relationship between people, land and ocean. Yang will share how Mother Earth provided the food, water, plants, animals and natural resources needed to sustain life in Southern California for countless generations prior to the arrival of European settlers.
The event is free for Pasadena Senior Center members and only $5 for non-members, and reservations are suggested. To register or for more information, visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org, then click on Lectures & Classes, then Cultural Thursdays.
Yang will also highlight how the Gabrieleno-Tongva people understood, cared for, and lived in relationship with the natural world, drawing upon generations of knowledge to thrive across the diverse landscapes and coastal waters of their ancestral homelands.
Samantha Morales Johnson Yang is an Afro-indigenous (Gabrielino/Tongva) multidisciplinary artist, environmental scientist, and ethnobotanist. She received her B.S. in marine biology before attending graduate school for her certificate in science illustration, she uses her experience to help connect Western Scientists with Indigenous Science philosophy. Samantha is the founder of the Gabrieleno-Tongva Stewardship Crew, which has been credited with helping save homes during the Eaton Canyon Fire of 2025 for their herbicide-free methods of invasive species removal.
The Pasadena Senior Center’s mission is to improve the lives of older adults through caring service with opportunities for social interaction, fitness programs, basic support and needs services, education, volunteerism and community activism. With 10,000 Americans per day becoming older adults, the center is a leader in addressing issues of aging and provides innovative, cutting-edge, nationally recognized programs for this population group.
As a donor-supported nonprofit, the center operates without any local, state or federal funding and provides more services to older adults than any other organization in the San Gabriel Valley. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. To learn more visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org or call 626-795-4331.