Activism
On National Child Day, meet clean water activist Autumn Peltier
A Conversation With Native Americans on Race
Native American Student Association at UNCG
By joining NASA, students have opportunities to learn more about the cultures of Native and Indigenous communities in NC (the Southeast Woodland peoples). Learn More.
2022 Pow Wow hosted by UNCG’s Native American Student Association
Indigenous activists on tackling the climate crisis: ‘we have done more than any government’
People
Secretary Deb Haaland
Secretary Deb Haaland made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. She is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th-generation New Mexican.
The Trail of Broken Treaties
Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement at home and the Third World Movements abroad, newly empowered and organized Native Americans embarked on a new campaign for Native American Rights in 1972.
Resources
Indigenous Safe Space
Look for the Indigenous Safe Space sticker around campus!
Last spring, Simone Watkins led a group of faculty and staff in developing a network of advocates for Native students at UNCG. Look for this sticker on faculty and staff doors to find people dedicated to supporting you at UNCG.
The Office of Intercultural Engagement is an excellent resource for navigating campus and connecting with others on campus.
Guilford Native American Association
Did you know that Guilford County has one of 4 Native Associations in the state? This gives you a strong connection to the Native community of NC and the area.
GNAA also has an amazing art gallery! Visit their webpage to find out more: https://www.guilfordnative.com/gnaa-art-gallery
Virtual Classroom for K-12
Stephen Bell, director of American Indian Education for Guilford County Schools, made this Virtual AIE Office to access virtual readings, videos, and maps of Native Tribes. (link provided by GCSNC)
Resources for Teaching About Indigenous Peoples
Educators should be mindful of cultural appropriation when teaching about other cultures and understand that Native American students in class may experience lessons differently than non-Native students. Learn More…
Celebrate our UNCG Native Alumni!
Tamra Hunt (Lumbee)
UNCG Alumnus Tamra Hunt (Lumbee) is collaborating with Creative Greensboro as the neighborhood community artist in the Glenwood neighborhood. The project focuses on the indigenous history and untold stories of the indigenous families who lived in Glenwood.
Through storytelling, art-making, and community engagement at the People’s Market located in Glenwood, the residents can listen, participate, and share in the experience of these families’ untold stories. The neighborhood art project wrapped up durin the summer of 2023, with a completed crosswalk street mural, painting in the heart of the neighborhood. See her mural.
Raven Dial-Stanley (Lumbee)
UNCG Alumnus, Raven Dial-Stanley (Lumbee) ’20 was last year’s (2022) featured artist for the poster sponsored by the United Tribes of North Carolina, North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, and North Carolina Tribes and Organizations.
We are so proud of Raven and her amazing talent!!
See her poster and learn more about Raven.
Spartan Voices
Jenice Ramirez
Jenice Ramirez is a proud Latina, with roots in Puerto Rico, who began as the Executive Director of ISLA NC in 2013. She has focused on education equity, bilingualism, multiculturalism, and leadership within the Latinx community for the last 9 years.
Jenice has been in the education arena for over 11 years and has made it her mission to be a part of changing the status quo for the Latino community in NC and pushes for language access and opportunities for the community. Her professional and personal work is guided by the desire to see more women and people of color lead in the field of education. In the last 6 years, she has focused on pushing for educational equity in North Carolina and is passionate about seeing a true transformation in the quality of education our students receive across our state.
She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2010 with a degree in Special Education and a minor in Spanish. Her work in the field of education equity is inspired and influenced by great women activists in our history like Bell Hooks & Audre Lorde. One of the quotes she centers her work on is by the great Audre Lorde, “Without community, there is no liberation”.
Terry Chavis
My activism work focuses on decolonial practices in education (K-12 & Higher Education). I work alongside colleagues to de-center traditional practices and ideals in education and bring marginalized cultural practices to the center. One way I integrate decolonial practices into my work is through my pedagogical practices in my classroom. Though I am the content expert in my class, I recognize that students bring their stories and experiences with them and are a source of wisdom. My students are at the center of my practice. I often ask students to reflect on their experiences and share their thoughts with the community. This, in turn, allows the learning space to move organically in a direction motivated by storytelling and authenticity.
My academic research aims to better understand the experiences of Indigenous students in STEM classrooms. Utilizing Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, I interact with this subject through a critical paradigm. Do Indigenous students see themselves, or their culture, anywhere in the STEM curriculum? What are the interactions with their professors? Their peers? How are these interactions impacting their motivation to pursue a STEM career? These questions guide me as I pursue my Ph.D. in Educational Studies: Higher Education here at UNCG.
Outside the classroom, I work with K-12 systems as a DEI educational consultant. My activist work is used as a framework to present professional development opportunities to educators working with our future generations. Assisting them in understanding culturally relevant pedagogy that highlights their students’ intersecting worldviews and experiences.