In September, a representative for the Native American and Indigenous Students Group at NYU, Amanda Foote, reached out to Beyond Buckskin. They wanted to buy the Native Americans Discovered Columbus tee for their Columbus Day events. It was so great to see students initiate positive change, and I was reminded of my days at Dartmouth and the University of Arizona, where I frequently found myself in groups wanting to educate and empower through events. I'm sure you all can relate.Through my email exchanges with Amanda, I thought it would be a cool idea to share how an event like this comes about and why it's important. I asked Amanda some questions, thinking we could do an interview, but she responded explaining that they were a film-interested group, and that they'd come up with a video. That's amazing. And the video that they produced was amazing. I want to share this video with you - but more than that, I want to share the positive creative energy that these individuals bring to us, through words, through dance, and through moving image. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it inspires you.
Let's continue to advocate for a full transition from celebrating 'Columbus Day' to honoring the survivance and resilience of Indigenous people.
"This short video demonstrates the power of media to show our own voices about making "Columbus Day" into "Indigenous Peoples Day" all over the country and the world with the Native American and Indigenous Students Group at NYU."