Indigenous Peoples Day Reflective Report

While all of the events provided an educational and fascinating experience, the event that left the biggest impression on me was during Indigenous Peoples Day. During the afternoon activities, there was a workshop called “Roots of Injustice-Seeds of Change Workshop”. This workshop changed everything that I thought I knew of the Native American people. The workshop consisted of a hands-on communal engagement exercise and discussion, regarding the oppression of the Native American people. Initially, when the event began I was incredibly nervous about being within a room of people whom I didn’t know. When I saw the different colored cards being passed out, I found myself both intrigued and slightly skeptical. The readers around the room began to share the side of history that had been rarely told when I was a young girl. The history covered the genocide of the native people through war, disease, and forced travel from their original lands to the reservations. This particular workshop is able to place you in the position that the Native American people were placed in. The dramatic effect caused by the combination of the readings and the blanket closing in on the remaining group of “survivors” had quite a powerful result. Before going to this event, I lacked knowledge about their history and culture. Growing up the
It was this second event that has shown me that the Native American people still face many issues today. As had been previously mentioned, these issues are seldom spoken of. The harm that has been inflicted upon these people is a travesty, and while it can’t be reversed, this event had inspired me to educate myself further. It is important that people from all backgrounds educate themselves and act as a voice in order to ensure that true equality can be