U of A and City of Fayetteville Co-Host 19th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day Observance

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Flyer with detailed agenda for Indigenous Peoples Day activities.

The U of A's Multicultural Center and the Native American Student Association will host this year's 19th annual observance of Indigenous Peoples Day today, Monday, Oct. 9. The day will be celebrated with food and an open mic on the South Terrace of the Arkansas Union beginning at 2:30 p.m. The open mic is for students, staff and faculty identifying as Indigenous to the Americas. Poetry, music, reflections and other statements are welcome, and all are invited to listen. 

Following the open mic, attendees are invited to join the Native American Student Association in a commemorative walk from the Arkansas Union to the Trail of Tears historical marker on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard (approximately one mile), commemorating the site where the "Benge Detachment" of Cherokee camped on their removal route from their homeland in 1839. At the site, Mayor Lioneld Jordan will share a proclamation as he has annually on behalf of the city of Fayetteville since 2009. 

The program at the historical site will also include guest speaker Will Chavez, who will speak on his experiences with the Remember the Removal Bike Ride, a leadership opportunity for Cherokee young people to cycle the 950-mile route taken by their ancestors while learning their family and tribal histories. Chavez is Cherokee and San Felipe Pueblo. He is assistant editor for the Cherokee Phoenix and coordinator, trainer and previous participant in the bike ride.