Indigenous Women's Series
The MRC hosts the Indigenous Women's Series bi-annually in rotation with My Name is My Own.
In 1999, a committee of students and staff from the American Indian Council, the Multicultural Resource Center, and the Edmonia Lewis Center for Women and Transgender People came together in order to raise awareness surrounding this history of United States and European imperialism in the Americas and the Pacific Islands.
The result of their groundbreaking work was the first annual Indigenous Women's Series. The long-term goal of the series has been to increase the institutional awareness and support of indigenous issues in the curriculum and among the campus community.
“Supporting Indigenous Communities in the time of Climate Change & Global Pandemic” by Jessica Hernandez from Earth Daughters
In this workshop, we will discuss how climate change is impacting Indigenous communities and how these impacts have been exacerbated due to the global pandemic we are facing. We will hold space to discuss how traditional knowledge, activism, and art can be used to lead mutual aids that can support Indigenous-led community projects. We will provide a workshop that will provide tools and a guide on how to organize mutual aids, especially during these times to support BIPOC communities.
“Beading Against the Stigma: Native Culture as Prevention” by Iesha Phillips '21
Colonization has devastated Native communities resulting in poverty-stricken communities plagued with high incarceration and suicide rates. However, Native communities are actively combating these issues with culture. As a member of the Mvskoke Nation Youth Council, Iesha Phillips has been able to immerse herself in her culture and traditions. She even had the opportunity to teach some of these activities as the princess and goodwill ambassador of her tribe. Come bead coil bracelets and/or chokers with Iesha Phillips as she discusses how she got involved in her culture and how it changed her life for the better. Questions are encouraged! This workshop will be led by Iesha Phillips who is Black and Mvskoke. She is a 3rd year from Tulsa, OK where she resides in the Mvskoke reservation.
"Following Old Trails, and Forging New Path in the Africa-Native American Narrative" by Angela Walton-Raji
This presentation will examine a past history of African descended people immersed in Five Native American communities. It shall examine people who were taken westward during the years of Indian Removal. Among them, were enslaved Africans, some free and later all freed and remained within the native community where they lived. This discussion involves a topic of identity, culture and belonging among both men and women. The presentation will also include methods of documenting this undertold story, and how to avoid the false narratives that often surface.