Cheyenne River Sioux mother advocates for housing rights after homelessness

BISMARCK, ND – On a crisp December evening in 2023, Val­erie Jean Siqueiros stood before her community to accept an award for her tireless advocacy work – even as she and her family were still navigating homelessness.

The 41-year-old Cheyenne Riv­er Sioux citizen had spent months camping at General Sibley Park be­fore moving to a shelter, all while emerging as one of Bismarck-Man­dan’s most powerful voices for housing justice. Her journey from unhoused to housing activist re­flects a growing need in North Da­kota, where more than 700 people face homelessness nightly, accord­ing to state housing data.

In a city grappling with a deep­ening housing crisis, Siqueiros has emerged as a uniquely com­pelling changemaker. As secretary of the Indigenous Parent Adviso­ry Committee at Bismarck Public Schools and an active member of all six Sacred Pipe Resource Center councils, she’s turned her personal struggle into a catalyst for change.

“Her raw and very real depiction of the housing crisis in our com­munities leaves an impression on you,” said Ashley Jahner, Sacred Pipe’s director of advocacy. “It fu­els your fire and sparks emotion.”

“I fell into a little hole of despair. But I chose to just keep going… just so I wouldn’t have to be worry­ing about everything, every single minute of the day.” -Valerie Sique­iros, IPAC secretary and communi­ty advocate

Jahner first met Siqueiros at one of the organization’s events in the summer of 2023, held at their pre­vious location in Mandan. When Sacred Pipe relocated to Bismarck in October 2023, Jahner remem­bers Siqueiros continuing to attend events and community council meetings.

“It’s been a complete joy to wit­ness,” Jahner said.

To cope with the daily stress of being unhoused, Siqueiros started attending community events and becoming more involved.

“I fell into a little hole of de­spair,” she said. “But I chose to just keep going wherever I could. Just to get out of the shelter. Just so I wouldn’t have to be worrying about everything, every single min­ute of the day.”

Siqueiros became so deeply in­volved in the Bismarck-Mandan Indigenous community that in De­cember 2023, during Sacred Pipe’s inaugural winter solstice celebra­tion, she was honored with a com­munity engagement award.

“I felt so good to be able to be named that recipient,” Siqueiros said. “After that, I made it a big­ger commitment to try to make it to as many functions as I could and to be able to advocate as much as I possibly could, especially for our homeless community and for our arts community.”

Despite daily challenges such as transportation and health issues, Siqueiros attends IPAC meetings, council sessions and events with a smile. In addition to participating in local events and council meet­ings, Siqueiros became more in­volved with the IPAC. As a mother of 14-year-old Christina, a student at Bismarck Public Schools, she wanted to ensure the best possible opportunities for her daughter.

In May 2024, she was elected secretary of the IPAC. Since then, she has helped organize the Back- to-School event in August and In­digenous Heritage Night at BPS in December, both of which attracted hundreds. “I knew that if anybody can do this work, then I could,” she said.

Jesse Short Bull, one of Sique­iros’ closest friends, describes her as a natural leader. He admires her compassion, intelligence and her qualities as a loving mother and friend.

“She’s also fierce,” he added. “She isn’t afraid to stand up for her relatives, tribe and the land. Valerie will step up and make her stance known.”

Siquieros grew up in Milpitas, Calif., far from the reservation. In search of a better life, her father applied for relocation in the early 1970s from the Cheyenne Sioux River Agency in South Dako­ta. Eventually he got the support he needed to move to California, where he met Siquieros’ mother.

The family lived in Northern Cal­ifornia until she was 19. For Sique­iros, it felt like a protective bubble. She said she loved being with her family and attending the Milpitas Unified School District. But when her father’s health began to decline, he required dialysis. Her parents’ social security wasn’t enough to meet their needs, so they ultimately made the difficult decision to move back to the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, where he could access a dialysis unit.

Initially, Siqueiros wanted to re­turn to Northern California, but she felt it was important to stay close to her family. In 2007, at the age of 24, her mother died, and five years later, in 2012, her father also passed. She said the loss of her par­ents left her feeling untethered but determined to persevere.

She isn’t afraid to stand up for her relative, tribe and the land. Valerie will step up and make her stance known.”

-Jesse Short Bull, filmmaker

At the time, Siqueiros was study­ing for a bachelor’s degree in muse­um studies at the Institute of Amer­ican Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She had previously earned associate degrees in Literature and Communication, as well as in La­kota Studies, at Oglala Sioux Col­lege in North Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

When she was 27, she and her partner, Joseph Siqueiros, had a daughter, Christina. Two years lat­er, after being with Joseph for 11 years, they got married. Eventual­ly, she returned to Santa Fe with her husband and daughter. After the death of Joseph in 2016 due to illness, Siqueiros said she focused on surviving and raising her young daughter.

“It got to be a bit much, with the memories and my single income,” she said. “So we ended up going back to South Dakota.”

Eventually, she met Michael, her second husband. Both were com­mitted to getting a higher educa­tion, and they decided to return to school at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, where she studied business administration and Michael, general studies. The family lived in the close-knit cam­pus community during this time.

In 2023, the family faced difficult times once again. No longer attend­ing UTTC, they lost their cam­pus housing. Barely making ends meet, they also faced health issues and disability. As students, Sique­iros said they wrestled to balance school and parenting responsibili­ties, which left little time for work. When they did manage to work, they weren’t able to save much. For seven months, they were unable to secure housing in Bismarck.

After leaving their campus hous­ing, Siqueiros and her family set up camp at General Sibley Park. Both she and Michael have diabetes, and the conditions soon took a toll on their health.

Eventually, a doctor contacted United Way, which operates a non­profit shelter for families and chil­dren. For six months, the family shared a room with various room­mates.

“That whole time, we were pounding the pavement,” she said. “He was looking for jobs. He was getting little tiny spot jobs every­where he could.”

Siqueiros, who uses a wheel­chair, faced difficulty finding an apartment after receiving support from North Dakota Rent Help, a state housing stabilization pro­gram. They needed a ground-floor, two-bedroom unit, but none were available. They finally found a sec­ond floor apartment with an eleva­tor in January 2024.

Siqueiros joined Sacred Pipe’s Tenant Rights Association back in September 2023. Since then, she has been vocal about her story.

“Her lived experience is invalu­able,” Jahner said. “She is truly an expert when it comes to under­standing the struggles of what our people face on a day-to-day basis.”

This fall, around 30 individuals testified at a Bismarck City Coun­cil meeting in opposition to an or­dinance that would ban encamp­ments of the people without homes. Despite their efforts, on Oct. 8, the council, including Mayor Mike Schmitz, approved the ordinance, which prohibits camping and the accumulation of property in public spaces.

“I had hoped that all of those people coming together and giving us testimonies would have stalled it at least,” Siqueiros said.

Others in the community are also proud of Siqueiros’ progress. “I really hope she continues being an advocate in our community and is seated at the tables of change, where she belongs,” Jahner said.

If there’s one systemic barri­er Siqueiros would eliminate, it would be the challenge of access­ing resources.

“Maybe you don’t have a phone all the time and you’re trying to get a hold of somebody, but you keep getting the runaround and that gets frustrating, which leads to huge trust issues,” she said.

In the future, Siqueiros hopes to return to IAIA to finish her degree in museum studies. Most recent­ly she began working at Torrid, a national plus size retailer. In the meantime, she encourages the community to stay engaged and get involved.

“No matter what position you’re in, keep moving forward,” she said. “No matter how dark it is, there’s always that little silver lining that’s going to lead you back to a good place.”

(Contact Adrianna Adame at adrianna@imfreedomalliance.org)

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