NOVA Celebrates Native American Heritage Month

NOVA formally acknowledges and celebrates the month of November as Indigenous Peoples/Native American History Month.  

The endurance and resilience of all Native People deserve our attention far beyond one month alone. However, this month presents an opportunity to increase our awareness of indigenous cultures, the many obstacles these cultures and tribes have faced in the past and present and how they have proved to be resilient and to thrive to this day as members of our community. 

To commemorate the month, various NOVA offices and campuses are offering a series of speakers, academic programming, celebrations and resources. In addition, the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, with approval and support from NOVA leadership, is beginning the collaborative process of working with local tribal and indigenous organizations and leaders to develop a formal land acknowledgement statement. 

As we celebrate the great contributions and achievements of indigenous cultures and communities, it’s important to recognize the historical injustices committed against those from indigenous cultures. I invite everyone to connect with faculty experts across a variety of disciplines and to review informative resources that outline the challenges stemming from the Indian Relocation Act and other federal and state policies that explain how many indigenous tribes in Virginia were displaced, denied status and to this day struggle to gain state and federal recognition. See this helpful article by Mika Endo for more.

In addition, please consider reviewing information from organizations such as Native Hope that seek to raise our collective awareness about the sobering number of native women and girls who are kidnapped and murdered each year.  

In addition to these resources, the Library of Congress also has an extensive free list of NAH Month resources, including video and audio clips that can be used inside and outside the classroom. 

In honor of this month, please consider participating in one or more of the following events and activities designed to honor the importance of indigenous communities everywhere. 

Thursday, Nov. 4 (recording available)
Office of DEI November Spotlight Event – Indigenous Youth Speaker and Climate Activist Nina Berglund

Tuesday, Nov. 16 (Virtual)
Speaker Spotlight: Elizabeth Rule & Guide to Indigenous D.C.
Host: American University

Wednesday, Nov. 17 (Virtual)
Native Americans: The Invisible Foundation of the Modern World
Alexandria Campus Language, Arts and Social Sciences Dean, Jimmie McClellan, will present the Annual Joseph Windham Lecture on Race Relations. Dr. McClellan, a History faculty member and has taught Native American history at NOVA and GMU for more than forty years.  
Host: AL

Thursday, Nov. 18
Trip to the National Museum of the American Indian
Location: NAMI
Host: NOVA 

Throughout November:

• Student Life is giving away copies of “We are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom
• Annandale Campus Library is celebrating National Native American Heritage Month with a display outside the library’s doors, and a corresponding online guide.

Submitted by:
Dr. Nathan Carter, CDEIO, NACarter@nvcc.edu