Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day
A message from: Lorenley Báez, Associate Provost for Equity & Belonging
Office of Equity & Belonging
Dear Students,
Today, Monday, October 14, 2024, The New School honors Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This important day recognizes the history, culture, and contributions of Native American and Indigenous communities. This recognition comes with an understanding of the history of violence and oppression perpetrated against communities that have endured centuries of colonization and attempted erasure.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a counter-celebration to the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day. Many people reject celebrating Christopher Columbus, expressing that he represents a violent history of colonization in the Western Hemisphere. In 2021, President Joe Biden formally commemorated Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so.
I encourage you to explore the Native Land website, which maps out Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages around the world. We acknowledge that The New School in New York City is situated on the ancestral homelands of the Lenape people. While this day in the U.S. centers on First Nations of North America, we are broadening Indigenous perspectives and communities to include, but not be limited to, the Taíno Peoples of the Caribbean, descendants of the Arawak-speaking peoples from South America who began settling in the Caribbean more than 2,000 years ago. Expanding our viewpoint allows for a more holistic narrative and approach toward teaching about colonization. Increased understanding and support of marginalized and vulnerable communities help us lean into difficult conversations in order to effect change.
I look forward to honoring this day with you!