Indigenous Peoples Day at Brandeis
Oct. 3, 2023
Oki/Yá’átééh Brandeis Community,
With that "hello" from the Blackfeet and Navajo languages — representing Evangelina's and Lee's respective tribal affiliations — we invite you to join us on Thursday evening to participate in our event to honor Indigenous Peoples Day event at the Brandeis Intercultural Center.
The observance of Indigenous Peoples Day is about Native American and Indigenous peoples’ presence, histories and resilience. More than acknowledgement, it is about active support of Indigenous communities and caring for the lands we occupy. The first seed of Indigenous Peoples Day was planted at a U.N. international conference on discrimination in 1977. The first state to recognize the day was South Dakota in 1989. Today, 14 U.S. states celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day and not Columbus Day, as well as the District of Columbia. More than 130 cities in Massachusetts including Arlington, Amherst, Cambridge, Brookline, Marblehead, Great Barrington, Northampton, Provincetown, Somerville and Salem also celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. The Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill that would adopt Indigenous Peoples Day; a hearing on that bill was scheduled for this week.
With this year's focus on "Building Indigenous Sovereignty In Community," we invite you to join us from 6-8 p.m. Thursday for the following offerings at the Intercultural Center:
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Welcoming remarks from Habiba Braimah & Lee Bitsóí
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Community keynote by Eva Blake (Wampanoag Nation) followed by a Q&A
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Round dance led by Evangelina Macias
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Sharing a meal that will be provided
Please register for the events.
In addition, please register for an event Saturday, Oct. 7, an in-person evening of community connection and a showing of dance work by Evangelina Macias at Brandeis University. Light refreshments will be provided.
To learn more about previous Indigenous Peoples Day events here at Brandeis, we encourage you to check out the Intercultural Center’s online archive of previous speakers.
Also, classes will not be held and Brandeis administrative offices will be closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 9.
Sincerely,
Evangelina Macias, PhD
Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
LeManuel Bitsóí, EdD
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Thank you to our co-sponsors: The Intercultural Center, Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the Myra Kraft Achievers Program, the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness and Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion.