In her poem, Washington State Poet Laureate and member of the Lhaq鈥檛emish (Lummi) Nation Rena Priest wrote, 聽鈥淚 believe the spirit conspires / against our errant belief that we are separate.鈥� As we honor the contributions and experiences of Indigenous people throughout , her words ring especially true for our 91探花 community, which is deeply connected to the American Indian and Alaska Native people and communities that play a vital role in our past, present and future.
Indigenous voices and accomplishments are a vibrant part of our academic community, and this month, I encourage everyone to take advantage of the many opportunities to explore and celebrate the work of some of the UW鈥檚 most accomplished Indigenous faculty, staff, students, alumni and neighbors.
Pay a visit to the or the . Watch Professor Tami Hohn鈥檚 public or take the of the 91探花campus in Seattle, developed by 91探花alumnus Owen Oliver. On November 28th, turn out for the Husky men鈥檚 basketball game where we will honor Native students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members. And learn more about how the 91探花is honoring and year round.
Throughout our community, Indigenous Huskies making an impact on the world, like Rosalie Fish, a student-athlete and activist who was awarded the prestigious Truman Scholarship this spring and Alexina Kublu, who received the 2022聽 for her work teaching the Inuktitut language at the . 91探花faculty have also published new books this year, including Professor Charlotte Cot茅鈥檚 , and Professor of English Chad Allen鈥檚 .
Across Washington, the 91探花is also deeply engaged with the Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. The words of our land acknowledgment represent our ongoing commitment to partnership with sovereign Tribes of the Pacific Northwest, through the leadership of our 91探花Office of Tribal Relations. From the led by the Foster School鈥檚 Consulting and Business Development Center to , which supports Indigenous peoples鈥� health, the 91探花is partnering with tribal communities. And we are excited to move into Phase 2 of the w菨色菨b蕯altx史 -Intellectual House as we seek to create additional supports, spaces and resources that will deepen the sense of community and connection for our Indigenous students.
These partnerships and collaborations are especially critical in light of the historical and ongoing injustice and marginalization faced by Indigenous people in Washington and across the nation. One action we can take to redress some of these wrongs is for the state to provide tuition waivers for members of federally recognized Tribes in Washington State, legislation that the 91探花supports in partnership with Washington鈥檚 other public four-year institutions.
In May, we also recognized National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous People. The epidemic of violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people is just one facet of the systemic oppression and inequity that affects tribal people and communities. As part of our shared commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, our University is working to create opportunity, partner with communities and support health and well-being for all Indigenous people in Washington and beyond.
This month, and every month, let鈥檚 reflect 鈥� and act 鈥� on Priest鈥檚 suggestion that we are not separate, but rather share a common humanity that connects us and makes us accountable to each other.