Anika Lopes, founder and director of the Ancestral Bridges Foundation, a nonprofit based in Amherst, dedicated to uncovering and celebrating the obscured and lesser-known Black and Afro-Indigenous roots of Amherst through the revitalization of archives with oral histories from original inhabitants and their descendants. As a descendant-led living archive and cultural center, Ancestral Bridges builds and supports projects, exhibitions, and educational programs that pay tribute to the arts, history, and culture of the Black and Afro Indigenous populations in the Connecticut River Valley and honors this legacy of Amherst and the region, connecting our past to our present and paving a path toward a future of equity and shared respect. Anika is a professional milliner, creative director, and culture bearer. Locally, she has served on the Amherst Town Council and currently holds positions on the Mass Cultural Council and the boards of Family Outreach of Amherst and the Amherst Business Improvement District.