KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� Nov. 4, 2024 鈥� The 成人直播 will celebrate Native American Heritage Month this November, recognizing the University鈥檚 place on the traditional stomping ground of the Narragansett Nation and the Niantic People. 成人直播鈥檚 Multicultural Students Services Center and College of Arts and Sciences have planned a variety of events that will celebrate art, culture, history and activism over the course of the month. Organizers say events aim to make the larger 成人直播 community 鈥渇luent鈥� in the history, practices and traditions of the University鈥檚 local Native American tribes with a focus on the Narragansett Tribe.
Junior Tre Hamlin is vice president of 成人直播鈥檚 Native American Student Organization (NASO) and says the organization is focused on building awareness and outreach at the University, by informing and educating the larger community here.
Hamlin often reads the University land acknowledgement before events at 成人直播.
鈥淓very time I read it, all I hope is that people listen,鈥� he says, noting that the school has made progress toward more inclusion by adding Narragansett-taught classes about the tribe鈥檚 culture. 鈥淏ut there is always more work to be done in terms of involvement.鈥�
On Wednesday, Nov. 6 at noon, Hamlin will provide the acknowledgement when the hosts its annual kickoff for the month, with tribal members and other student leaders from 成人直播鈥檚 Native American Student Organization. This year鈥檚 community luncheon and panel discussion, 鈥淣arratives on History and Activism,鈥� will focus on activism in the Native American community. Catering will be provided by Sly Fox Den Too of Charlestown; the James Beard Award winning restaurant specializes in authentic Northeast Indigenous cuisine. Seating is limited. Register .
Panelists include alumni Mack Scott 鈥�02 of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, Brown University; Silvermoon LaRose 鈥�04, assistant director of the Tomaquag Museum; junior Mark Edmonds, a member of NASO; Bella Noka, human rights activist/advocate and tribal elder of the Narragansett Indian Tribe: and Sonia Ascawawa (Flowers that Grow Wild) Thomas, College Unbound. Raymond 鈥淭wo Hawks鈥� Watson MCP 鈥�05, founder and CEO of the Providence Cultural Initiative, will moderate.
鈥淚 am honored to have this opportunity to return,鈥� says Scott. 鈥淢y experience at 成人直播 was formative. I arrived on campus believing I knew who I was and what I wanted from life. However, the lessons I learned and the relationships I cultivated at 成人直播 profoundly changed me.鈥�
Scott graduated from 成人直播 with his degree in education and says that teaching about history and its continued relevance is his activism.
鈥淚 appreciate the harvest season because it is when our past becomes foremost in our minds,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he reality is that, as Americans, our harvests are often inequitable. Historical social, political, and economic conditions have helped to raise or lower yields based on race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. As we pause during this season of reflection, it is essential that we also consider how it is that we have come to enjoy our individual and collective harvests.鈥�
Kayla Soares ’12 ’16, a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, the Language Center coordinator, and an assistant teaching professor at 成人直播, says this month鈥檚 events are focused on bringing local communities together, both indigenous and non-indigenous.
This month鈥檚 Native American Heritage celebration also includes:
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m., the Tomaquag Museum will visit 成人直播 to present 鈥淭raditions and Lifeways鈥� in the Multicultural Student Services Center.
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m., author Emily Bowen Cohen, author of Two Tribes, will discuss her graphic novel in the Language Center at Swan Hall 301. Cohen creates comics that explore intersectional identity; she is Jewish and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Cohen grew up in rural Oklahoma, daughter of the chief of staff at the community鈥檚 tribal hospital and 鈥渁 nice Jewish girl from New Jersey.鈥� Today, Cohen uses personal experience to tell stories examining contemporary American and Jewish culture.
That evening, alumna artist AGonza 鈥�15 returns to 成人直播 for a continuation of the Culture and Canvas series, this time highlighting the Native American community. This program will take place in the Multicultural Student Services Center at 5 p.m. A revolutionary artist whose work can be seen in murals across Providence, the Talent Development graduate maintains a strong connection with her alma mater. The work created through Culture and Canvas decorates the center鈥檚 shared spaces.
Nickommoh is the traditional harvest celebration of the Narragansett people and a Nickommoh Social Celebration 鈥� with song, dance and food 鈥� will take place in the Memorial Union on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.
On Monday, Nov. 18, 成人直播 hosts a conversation with Narragansett Tribal Elders at 3 pm. in the Alumni Center.
And on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m., the Multicultural Student Services Center will host a talk centered on student perspectives with members of NASO.
Organizers say they hope these events bring the community together in celebration of a rich cultural heritage, represented in 成人直播鈥檚 history and present.
鈥淕atherings like this connect students with the community,鈥� says LaRose. 鈥淚t’s an opportunity to learn from your neighbors, and those you may be working with when you leave these grounds. Sometimes, institutions can become microcosms of the world around us and we need to remember to engage with those outside of campus spaces. A great education should expand your worldview. These discussions help to do that work.鈥�
These events are sponsored by 成人直播鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, Multicultural Student Services Center and Native American Student Organization.