The U of A's Multicultural Center, Native American Student Association and the City of Fayetteville will co-host this year's 18th annual observance of Indigenous Peoples Day today, Monday, Oct. 10.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan will share a proclamation at the Trail of Tears marker on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard as he has annually on behalf of the City of Fayetteville since 2009. This annual recognition is one of the oldest observances of Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.

The U of A first recognized Indigenous Peoples Day in 2004, based upon the recommendation of Dick Bennett, professor emeritus and founder of the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology. As part of this annual event, U of A students and guests have annually made a commemorative walk from the Student Union to the marker commemorating the site where the "Benge Detachment" of Cherokees camped while taking what became known as the Trail of Tears in 1839.

In 2020, the event went virtual with a recorded proclamation by Mayor Jordan, and in 2021 more than 40 people attended the in-person walk. Everyone is encouraged to join the scheduled activities this year and encouraged to celebrate the day.

Full schedule:

• 1 p.m. — Indigenous open mic, Arkansas Union South Terrace
• 1:30 p.m. — Commemorative walk to Trail of Tears marker
• 2 p.m. — Proclamation by Mayor Lioneld Jordan and flute music performed by Indigenous musician Gaby Nagel
• 2:30 p.m. — Refreshments back at Arkansas Union South Terrace

The Multicultural Center will also be accepting donations of feminine products to distribute through the Kwek Society, whose organizational goal is to end period poverty for Native American students. Please drop off donations now through Oct. 31 in the Multicultural Center donation box.