Honoring Native American Heritage At West Chester University's Dowdy Multicultural Center

Press release from West Chester University:

November 6, 2020

November is celebrated as Native American Heritage Month and this year, the University’s Dowdy Multicultural Center (DMC) is hosting a series of virtual programs on the issues faced by North America’s native peoples. The events are offered through Zoom and are free and open to the public.

Sunday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m.

Register here.

Race-based sports mascots are still common in our area high schools. Many students
and their parents are unaware of the harm that is caused by the stereotypical and
demeaning way race-based mascots and performances are used at sports events. Learn
the reality behind the myth that these mascots are honoring indigenous people.

Sponsored by the Coalition of Natives and Allies: Cultivating Unity to End Racism
and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church Committee on
Native American Ministries.

Monday, Nov. 9, from 3 to 4:15 p.m.

Email museum@wcupa.edu for the Zoom link.

Oglala Lakota photographer, artist, and filmmaker Jaida Grey Eagle discusses Native American photography and the revitalization of indigenous symbols
in art. What makes it unique? How should we discuss and report on indigenous artwork?
How does it demonstrate “resistance through existence”? Her newest photo series will
be on display in the University’s Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. Visit www.wcupa.edu/museum for more information. Sponsored by WCU Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, The
Ethnic Studies Institute, Department of Art + Design, and the Office of Sustainability.

Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

RSVP to http://cglink.me/r877707 for the Zoom lnk.

Mark Charles, a dual citizen of the United States and the Navajo Nation, was a 2020 independent presidential candidate who hopes to “build a nation where We the
People truly means #AllThePeople.” Charles makes the case for a national dialogue on race, gender, and class in the United
States as he discusses how the Doctrine of Discovery paved the way for the ongoing
dehumanization of Indigenous Peoples. He is co-author of the book Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery.

The DMC’s November programs correspond with an exhibit being installed this month
in the University’s Museum of Anthropology and Sociology.

In conjunction with the exhibition Earth Day at 50: Lessons for a Sustainable Future, a special exhibit highlights Indigenous environmental protests and movements and features works by noted Native American artist-activists Jaida Grey Eagle, Christi Belcourt, and Isaac Murdoch and the Onaman Collective. The exhibition demonstrates that the 50th anniversary of Earth Day is an empowering reminder that positive actions in daily life can combat the ongoing environmental
crisis that humans have created.

A recording of a special presentation on “Indigenous Environmental Activism through
Art” that Belcourt made in October for WCU is also available.

In addition, the DMC launched a student-focused conversation series on “Native American
Existence and Resistance” with a video viewing and discussion on Nov. 4. Programs
for students continue on Wednesdays, Nov. 11 and 18.

Contact multicultural@wcupa.edu or call 610-436-2562 for more information.

This press release was produced by West Chester University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.