Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 14, 2024

Dear All,

On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we remember our commitments expressed in our land acknowledgment, which recognizes that Vassar stands upon the homelands of Indigenous peoples who have an enduring connection to this place despite being forcibly displaced by European colonization. This acknowledgment, it states, is hollow unless Vassar actively works to counter this injustice. To that end, the College has committed to building and sustaining relationships with Native communities; to expanding opportunities at Vassar for Native students, as well as Native faculty and other employees; and to collaborate with Native Nations to know better the Indigenous peoples, past and present, who care for this land.

As part of these commitments, we have been focused on increasing participation by Native American community college students in Vassar’s Exploring Transfer program and have also been reaching out to more Indigenous high school students through College Horizons—an effort that has contributed to a first-year class with more Indigenous students than in previous years. We are also working to strengthen the Native American and Indigenous Student Association (NAISA) on campus. Most recently, Sarah Biscarra Dilley (Northern Chumash), Director of Indigenous Programs and Relationality at the Forge Project, has been named as this year’s Anne McNiff Tatlock ’61 Fellow.

Over recent years, the College’s engagement has deepened with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community—the present-day branch of the Mohican Nation whose ancestors once lived in the Hudson Valley, including the land on which Vassar stands. Because of their forced displacement centuries ago, they are now based in Wisconsin, even as they continue to care deeply for this land, as I know from my interactions with tribal leadership. Last May the Tribe’s President, Shannon Holsey, visited Vassar with members of the Stockbridge-Munsee community and held a private event on campus, which was deeply meaningful and moving. This year, students traveled to Bowler, Wisconsin, with Bart Thurber, the Director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, to attend the 48th Annual Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican powwow, a trip that will be repeated next year. A few weeks ago, Sherry White, the Tribal Liaison for the Stockbridge-Munsee, was on campus to continue our work together. Ms. White toured the Loeb’s current exhibit My Grandmother’s Whispers: Indigenous Prints and Beadwork, which explores the persistence of Indigenous ancestral knowledge through matrilineal lines and will be on display until February 2, 2025. After her visit, Ms. White said, “This exchange is a significant step in promoting mutual understanding and partnership between Vassar and the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe. The ongoing dialogue and collaboration aim to enhance educational opportunities and cultural exchange for both communities.”

We and the Native Nations share a complicated history, a history that enriches our educational lives together as it is unfolding into a future of collaboration and joint learning.

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day,

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar