Cascadia College Providing "American Indian and Indigenous Studies"

 

Courtesy of Cascadia College

Cascadia College recently hired Dr. Victor Begay as its first American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS) professor and Tribal Liaison. Begay is an educator and scholar from the Navajo Nation.

Cascadia is partnering with the University of Washington to provide the AIIS program. Classes at Cascadia transfer directly to the UW AIIS degree program.

“Students will engage with concepts such as the cultural and socio-political foundations of Tribal Sovereignty, Indigenous identity, critical significance of native foodways, and highlight the nuanced experiences of Indigenous peoples in the PNW,” said Cascadia Dean for Student Learning Kristina Young. 

A press release by the school states the program is a part of the school’s push “to provide equity and social justice-oriented education to everyone by centering the experience of all of the historically marginalized members of its community.”

“I am thrilled with the continued growth within the Office of Equity and Inclusion,” said Chari Davenport, Executive Director of Equity and Inclusion at Cascadia. “Our focus on supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone within the Cascadia community has truly been expanded in all of the work that we do.”

WOODINVILLE WEEKLY, 9/22/2022

excerpted by B. Yoder