November is Native American Heritage Month, and like all of the United States, the Keweenaw Peninsula has been home to Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The more recent inhabitants included those of several nations including the Dakota, Fox, and Menomonie. The most prominent nation in these lands before the incursion of Europeans was the Ojibwe. This heritage month is an opportunity for us to learn, share, and celebrate the culture of these first peoples.
November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Nationwide, there are 372 treaties and 13 supplements ratified between Native Americans nations and the US, which highlight the unique government-to-government relationship that has existed for centuries.
In 1915, Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a member of the Seneca Nation and director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, NY, advocated to set aside a day for the “First Americans.” Also in 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. We look back on these single days as the laying the groundwork for the heritage month of today. A number of presidents from Calvin Coolidge to Barack Obama have made proclamations regarding Native American heritage celebrations. And in 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month.
I was born in Los Angeles, and in 1963 I experienced the greatest moment of my childhood when the Dodgers won the World Series in a four game sweep over the New York Yankees. The city was euphoric. Little did I know at the time that this joy was built on the pain of a once-vibrant Latinx community. Chavez Ravine would be the eventual site of Dodger Stadium. Through eminent domain and other coercive means, most of the ravine’s residents were dislocated for a housing project that eventually stalled. The land was later conveyed to the Dodgers in 1958. As a result, the authorities forcibly removed families from the homes built by their grandparents.
Hi everyone, my name is Wayne Gersie. I’m the new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion here at Michigan Tech University. I’m excited to be a part of your community, and I’m looking forward to having conversations with you about diversity, equity, inclusion and sense of belonging. Since I have been here, I have had the opportunity to move around and interact with many of you and get a really great sense of what it’s like to be a member of this community. Your stories have made me better understand what it means to live and work at Michigan Tech. You shared what you love about the community—but also some of the challenges you’ve experienced in your time here. I know we have work to do.
While I certainly acknowledge that we’ve had some challenges this past semester, I’m encouraged by the conversations I have had with many of you in the short time I’ve been here. One of the first initiatives my office is focusing on is a 120-day action plan developed by the newly formed President’s Council Task Force for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I’ve heard many of you ask for action. I hear you. And this Task Force and its 120-day plan are a great first step.
With the support of President Koubek and the President’s Council, we will identify and develop solutions that can provide an immediate benefit to both the community’s employees and its students. Speaking broadly, this team will develop a constructive dialogue from which actionable items will be drawn. It will be hard work, but I’m confident that we’ll be able to do it.
Our website, mtu.edu/diversity-inclusion, will serve as a hub for information about our office and our initiatives. It will also serve as a place where you can see the notes, progress and goals the Task Force develops throughout these critical next couple of months.
In the meantime, if you have questions, suggestions, or just want to talk, please reach out to our office.
Thank you for helping create a Michigan Tech where everyone feels welcome. Together, we are better.