Indigenous Peoples’ Day will be commemorated at Virginia Tech on October 12, 2020. The full day of events all have participation by members of the the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences community:

Native After Virginia Tech: Indigenous Alumni Panel
Monday, October 12, 10 a.m.
Panelists include:

  • Caylin Stewart (Agricultural Sciences ’18) — helped found Virginia Tech’s first Powwow
  • Jason Chavez (BS in Political Science ’19, MA in Political Science ’20) — leading advocate for Indigenous Peoples Day at Virginia Tech; past vice president of the student group Native at Virginia Tech
  • Doris Tinsley (Sociology ’20) — past president of Native at Virginia Tech
  • Rufus Elliott (History ’07) — first Monacan graduate of Virginia Tech
  • Lee Lovelace (Marketing Management ’09) — founder of Native at Virginia Tech

(a recording will be available for on-demand viewing afterward here)

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Talk: Performance or Progress?
Monday, October 12, 1 p.m.
In this featured Indigenous Peoples’ Day talk, Theresa Rocha Beardall, an assistant professor in sociology at Virginia Tech, and Theresa Ambo, an assistant professor in education studies at the University of California, San Diego, will evaluate settler land acknowledgements at public land-grant institutions.
Free and open to the public; register here
Sponsors: Virginia Tech School of Education, American Indian and Indigenous Community Center, and Office for Inclusion and Diversity
Contact: Barbara Lockee, lockeebb@vt.edu

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Spotlight: Kelly Holmes, Native Max Magazine
Monday, October 12, 5 p.m.
Join Kelly Holmes, founder and editor-in-chief of Native Max Magazine, for an interview celebrating Indigenous contributions to the arts and pop culture.
Free and open to the public; register here
Sponsors: Virginia Tech School of Education, American Indian and Indigenous Community Center, and Office for Inclusion and Diversity
Contact: Barbara Lockee, lockeebb@vt.edu

And So We Walked: DeLanna Studi and the Trail of Tears
Monday, October 12, 7:30 p.m.
DeLanna Studi dreamed of following the footsteps her ancestors were forced to travel along the Trail of Tears. In 2015 the Cherokee actor, writer, and activist embarked on a six-week journey to retrace the path her great-great-grandparents took in the 1830s when they were forced to relocate from their homelands with more than 17,000 Cherokee people. A powerful one-woman show honoring Indigenous people everywhere, And So We Walked recounts her incredible 900-mile journey to truly understand her own identity and the conflicts of her nation. In an exclusive event for the Moss Arts Center, Studi performs excerpts from the play and engages in a conversation with Mae Hey, an assistant professor of American Indian studies at Virginia Tech.
Free to Virginia Tech students; $10 for all others; reserve tickets here
Sponsor: Moss Arts Center

The American Indian and Indigenous Community Center is directed by Melissa Faircloth, a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology.