Allyship Series: Indigenous Forum Revisited: Allyship Across Cultures, Countries and Continents
Presented by The Harvard Clubs of Boston and Ireland in partnership with the Native American Alumni of Harvard University (NAAHU)
and Harvard Clubs from around the globe.
Friday, October 6, 2023
12:00PM - 1:00PM ET
VIRTUAL
The Harvard Clubs of Boston and Ireland, in partnership with the Native American Alumni of Harvard University (NAAHU) and Harvard clubs from around the globe, invite you to Indigenous Forum Revisited: Allyship Across Cultures, Countries, and Continents. Our first Indigenous Forum, in February 2021, celebrated allyship between Indigenous Peoples and the people of Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, Indigenous leaders, activists, and scholars will update us on:
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The History of Indigenous Slavery at Harvard and in the Americas
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Indigenous activism’s role in bolstering self-determination and economic security
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An overview of the November 2023, on-campus conference "Responsibility and Repair: Legacies of Indigenous Enslavement, Indenture, and Colonization at Harvard and Beyond”
RSVP HERE. This event is free of charge, but you must register so that we can send you the Zoom login information.
Our featured speakers include:
Ethel Billie Branch (AB '01, JD '08, MPP '08 and HAA Elected Director), Attorney General of the Navajo Nation and Founder, Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, recognized by Bill Gates as “one of the seven unsung heroes of the pandemic” will share new details on the Fund’s positive impact, having raised over $18 million. They are investing in long-term food security, entrepreneurship, youth leadership and housing to make communities “pandemic proof and climate resistant”, while remaining grateful for pivotal Irish support. Learn more
Dr. Kevin Waite, Associate Professor of Modern American History at Durham University (United Kingdom) and author of The Atlantic’s “What Slavery Looked Like in the West”, will provide context to the report of The Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery by examining the Indigenous enslaved and indentured in the history of Harvard and the Americas. Dr. Waite’s writing on “the other slavery” in a “transcontinental regime”. Learn more
Dr. Emily Van Dyke (AB ’03, MPH ‘09), Immediate Past President of the Native American Alumni of Harvard University, and Vice President of Communications at the Harvard Club of Seattle, traces her roots to the Blackfoot Confederacy in Montana and Alberta and has worked in public health research on improving cancer outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Dr. Van Dyke will provide the HAA’s acknowledgement statement and reflect on how alumni and allies can support Indigenous peoples.
Gena Kakkak, Chairwoman of the Menominee Tribal Legislature. She will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Menominee Restoration Act which returned sovereignty to her tribe and eventually to nearly all Native Nations of America. The Chairwoman will pay tribute to the passing of Ada Deer who led the sovereignty restoration movement as well as the reformation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1970s. The Chairwoman will speak about The Missing & Murdered Woman’s Task Force and the Menominee membership in The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council.
Additional Harvard Alumni Participants include:
Robert Manson MPA '04 - Harvard Alumni Association Executive Committee & former President of the Harvard Club of Ireland
Matthew G Hegarty '82 - Former President of the Harvard Club of Boston
Marcus DeFlorimonte, gb'95, pmd - President of the Harvard Club of Boston
Nancy Coombs - Founder of the Indigenous Issues Series and Executive Board member of the Harvard Club of Toronto
Registration is required. You will receive the login credentials prior to the event sent to the email address provided upon registration. One complimentary pass per person. Valid on October 6, 2023 only. Registration will close approximately 24 hours prior to the event to allow for the login credentials to be shared. This invitation is non-transferable.
