Santa Fe woman named CNN Champion for Change

May 17—In five short years, Amy Denet Deal has revolutionized her life, and in doing so, uplifted countless others.

Supporting the next generation is now the "rhythm" of the Santa Fe business owner's life, she said.

For that reason, CNN included Denet Deal, 59, as one of its 14 Champions for Change in 2024. The cable news network has been honoring change-makers for eight years with a week of programming leading up to a weekend primetime show. Denet Deal's longer segment aired Thursday; an hourlong special honoring all 14 champions will be hosted by CNN's Sanjay Gupta at 7 p.m. Saturday.

At least one other local previously has received the honor: Roger Montoya was named one of 10 CNN Heroes of 2019 for his role as co-founder of the youth center Moving Arts Española.

Denet Deal, a Diné sustainable fashion designer and the first Native American to be honored in the series, said the recognition is a "huge honor."

"That's a win for our community because our stories are important," she said.

That's true even when those stories are difficult to relive.

Denet Deal's birth mother was forced to leave her home on the Navajo Nation to attend a Farmington boarding school, and from there, took a one-way bus ticket to Ohio as part of a Bureau of Indian Affairs relocation program. Denet Deal was adopted into a white family and grew up in Indiana with no connection to her Native identity.

She went on to a successful corporate career in the fashion industry in Los Angeles. Finding her birth mom in her late 30s, however, eventually spurred a desire to "start over," so Denet Deal moved to Albuquerque five years ago and launched the sustainable artwear brand that morphed into her Canyon Road store 4KINSHIP when she moved to Santa Fe in 2022.

"There's that part of the story, which is very vulnerable, but this happened to so many families on Navajo Nation ... and so that displacement is important to talk about, just to talk about how resilient we are," Denet Deal said. "For me to have made it home finally, you know, I don't think many people do, so I hope it inspires other people of my generation to not give up."

Denet Deal said she found her way home by discovering the "joyfulness of doing community work," which has taken several forms.

At 4KINSHIP, she provides space for young Indigenous artists to sell their own work and earn 100% of the proceeds, while sales of her upcycled clothing pay overhead for the store.

She has also hosted and organized with various partners a growing number of performances that blend music, dance and fashion to elevate the talent of Indigenous artists.

Denet Deal's shows don't put artists in performative situations, doing what non-Native people expect, she said.

Instead,, she approaches artists saying, "Whatever you want to do, how can we support you?" — an attitude multiple artists at a February show described as almost shockingly welcoming.

Denet Deal in 2022 also spearheaded the building of a skate park on the Navajo Nation in Two Grey Hills, called the Diné Skate Garden Project, which has engaged kids living in remote areas with a burgeoning skateboarding community.

In June, she and partners will celebrate funding one year of mentorship programs at the skate park, which will soon host classes two or three times per week. Project organizers also are a few weeks out from a longtime goal of distributing 5,000 skateboards to kids in the area, she said.

Meanwhile, Denet Deal is raising funds for more skate parks on the Navajo Nation.

"I hope people take away from that, if an old lady like me, you know, who's just a mom and a fashion designer, can be inspired to do this outreach, do this community work, maybe everybody else can pick up a little bit of that, too," Denet Deal said. "Because it just takes time. It takes intention. It takes slowing down and thinking about what's really important," she said.

"And there's a lot of people that hear that rhythm, and they want to help," she added. "I mean, that skate park was funded in six months. We built it in six weeks. That's crazy! So, you know, I just keep thinking [we can] dream our ancestors' wildest dreams. Why not?"