Indigenous Peoples' Day

A midday Pow Wow and an evening keynote speech marked the university's celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day on the Homewood campus on Monday.

Indigenous Peoples' Day was first proposed as an alternative to Columbus Day in 1989 in South Dakota as a way of replacing what was seen as a celebration of colonialism with an observance that acknowledges and affirms indigenous people in the Americas and their organization against injustice.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Indigenous Students at Hopkins welcomed multiple Native dancers and musicians to the Keyser Quad on Monday for two hours of traditional performances—with audience engagement and participation encouraged—alongside tabling by JHU groups like OMA, ISH, and the Center for American Indian Health and local organizations including Native American LifeLine of Baltimore. The annual Pow Wow is meant to inform, educate, and engage the JHU community in the cultural ceremony through dancing, singing, renewal of friendships, creating new partnerships, and preserving the rich heritage of indigenous peoples.

A lecture at 6 p.m. by indigenous activist Dennis E. Seymour, who is Eastern Band Cherokee, concluded the day.