Student Government Association is preparing to celebrate the inaugural Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 12, with native students sharing their culture with the larger university community.
SGA President Alex Byron announced that the official celebration will be Monday, Oct. 12, after the Indigenous Peoples’ Day resolution is signed on that day.
The event is intended to create discussion between students about the history of Columbus Day, Byron said in an email announcement about the event.
The event will begin with a signing of the resolution at 9 a.m. at the Unity Garden in the South Oval, Byron said.
The legislation will be signed on Monday due to Undergraduate Student Congress' amending of the language of the resolution to better reflect the aspirations of the authors of the resolution, Indigenize OU. The language amended reflects a more welcoming environment on campus.
The signing will launch the day’s events by solidifying the endorsement of the student body for this holiday, Byron said in the release.
“SGA is really excited about the signing ceremony and about the day’s activities in general. This will be a really great learning opportunity for the students, and I know the Native American students are excited to share their culture with their community,” Byron said.
The events will continue throughout the day around campus and will be a collaborative effort with different departments and the Native American communities on our campus, Byron said.
“In light of Boren’s proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 5, a lot of departments wanted to show their support, including contributing their own events or their own way to promote the discussion of native cultures,” Byron said.
