Members of the Native American House from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign led a discussion about current issues, representation, accessibility, and advocacy.
On November 15th, Millikin hosted a panel discussion led by Dr. Charlotte E. Davidson, the director of Native American House, along with five student representatives. This was the main event for Millikin’s Native American Heritage Month festivities.
“I do feel it’s very important that everybody feels welcome here, and it also brings in more diversity,” Ronnie Coble, a student event attendee, said. “It allows those communities to join Millikin and feel comfortable here; even if we’re kind of small, we’re small but mighty.”
Native American House is a cultural center on the University of Illinois’ campus with the mission to connect and empower those in the Indigenous community. It is a safe place for them to engage with others who share a similar life experience and to feel supported through their journey in higher education.
“Being able to have the Native American House on campus has been instrumental for me,” Ashlee Shoemaker, a student panelist, said. “Getting to explore those roots more and also listen to other people who are Native students and learn their backgrounds too. [There are] over 500 nationally, federally recognized tribes. There’s a lot of diversity there. And I think it’s really important to not just know your own culture but also learn the culture of other Native groups.”
Davidson had prepared questions for the panel members in advance, and throughout the course of the night, each student was given the opportunity to respond. The questions were designed to allow the speakers to share their personal experiences and perspectives concerning the Indigenous community. Some topics the questions dealt with were leadership, harmful imagery, expanding representation, education, and many other issues warranting conversation.
“I think opportunities like this are so important for students because this is often the only space that we get to really voice our lived experiences and who we are as people,” Yanaba Schroeder, a student panelist, said. “Oftentimes, in classes, you’ll learn about American Indians and Indigenous people, but you don’t really get to hear the real spoken stories of who they are and how they feel and how they react to this misinterpretation of who we are as people.”
Despite Millikin having a very small identifying Native population, Athena Pajer, the Director for Student Engagement and Leadership Development as well as the organizer of the event, believes this is still a relevant conversation to have. She urges others to be more curious about cultures different from their own.
“I think I’m a strong believer that we always need to have conversations about Native American heritage and really acknowledge the importance of their Indigenous histories and cultures,” Pajer said. “It’s a vital part of our history. Now, I think it’s even more important to talk about it because, in several areas of this country, there are voices that want to silence, forget, and squash Indigenous history.”
Millikin is offering a final opportunity to get involved in Native American Heritage Month. There will be a free shuttle on Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. that will transport students to Champaign to watch the Native Chicago Jam performers. It’s not too late to experience an immersive opportunity in Native American culture.
“Whether you’re white, black, brown, whoever you are, it’s important to reach out and just acknowledge that [there are] other people in this world that exist around you and to better understand them,” Schroeder said.
