Observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Dear Seattle University Community,

Today, Seattle University marks Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Observed on the second Monday of October, the commemoration can be traced to the 1977 International NGO Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas. Momentum for the observance began to gather in the early 1990s when many cities began a movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The City of Seattle officially designated the day of observance in 2014, and Seattle University adopted it in 2016.

In commemorating this day, we pause to give thanks for the many ways in which our university is enriched and sustained by the contributions, cultures, and living traditions of Indigenous peoples. We celebrate in a special way the Indigenous students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are part of our university community.

As a university located on the ancestral land of the Coast Salish people, and rooted in a Jesuit educational mission, it is equally important that we confront the painful legacies of displacement and erasure so that we may truly build a more just and humane world. We continue this work with gratitude for the Indigenous Peoples Institute, the Northwest Center for Indigenous Law in the School of Law, and other groups on campus, including student-led clubs, who accompany us in these efforts.

As we continue our journey toward inclusive excellence, let us affirm our responsibility to listen, learn, and act in solidarity with Indigenous peoples everywhere.

Respectfully,

Eduardo M. Peñalver
President

Natasha Martin
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion