Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

November 4th – National Bison Day

On May 9th, 2016, the American bison was named The National Mammal of the United States. National Bison Day is an annual celebration of the significance of the American bison held on the first Saturday in November each year. Bison have been integral to tribal culture, providing them with food, clothing, fuel, tools, shelter, and spiritual value. Established in 1992, the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council works with the National Park Service to transfer bison from national park lands to tribal lands. In March of 2023, Secretary Deb Haaland established the Interagency Bison Conservation Working Group to enhance the Department’s work to restore the wild and healthy American bison population and the prairie grassland ecosystem using science and Indigenous Knowledge. 

• #BisonDay
• #BisonDay2023
• #NationalBisonDay 

November 15th – Rock Your Mocs Day

Established in 2011, Rock Your Mocs, is a worldwide Indigenous Peoples, American Indian and Alaska Native grassroots movement held annually in the U.S. during Native American Heritage Month (November). This social media campaign is held to inspire cultural pride for American Indians and Alaska Natives and to showcase individual tribal identity that also honors our ancestors. 
It’s easy to participate, simply wear moccasins! Or if you don’t own or can’t wear mocs (perhaps your tribe didn’t wear mocs), wear a Turquoise Ribbon or Apparel instead. You can also use the hashtag(s) #RockYourMocs or #RockYourMocs2023 on your personal social media channels. 

• #RockYourMocs
• #RockYourMocs2023

November 19th – Red Shawl Day

The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 clarified that the unique legal relationship of the United States to Indian tribes creates a federal trust responsibility to assist tribal governments in safeguarding the lives of Native women. For the week of November 15-21st, wear red to draw attention to the horrible acts of violence committed against American Indian and Alaska Native people, particularly women and children. Red symbolizes the loss of sacred life blood through violence. Add to the bigger conversation by using #RedShawlWeek on your social media channels.  

• #RedShawlWeek

Land Acknowledgement from RVCC DEI Committee: The campuses of River Valley Community College reside on the traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples both past and present. We acknowledge and honor with gratitude the alnobak (people) who have stewarded N’dakinna (homeland) caring for the aki (land), nebi (water), olakwika (flora), and awaasak (fauna) throughout the generations. We also acknowledge the hardships indigenous peoples continue to endure after the loss of unceded homelands. 

• The Native America Calling Podcast,(Open external link) produced by Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, a Native-operated media center in Anchorage, Alaska, is a great listen, too, covering culture, politics, and more.
• The “Unsung History” podcast(Open external link) has a collection of episodes centered around Native American History that will make for informative listening all month long.
• Learn more about the legendary history of the Navajo Code Talkers(Open external link) of World War II from Roy Hawthorne, who served in the role from 1943–1945.
• Hear more about the story of Susan La Flesche Picotte—the first Native American woman to receive a medical degree back in 1889, before women had a right to vote, or Native people were allowed to be U.S. citizens—in a video from PBS about “The First American Indian Doctor.”(Open external link).
• Also from PBS, watch “30 Stories for 30 Days”(Open external link) of Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month, a collection of videos that tell Indigenous stories throughout history—including a profile of rock guitarist Link Wray, the connection between the Seneca people and the Women’s suffrage movement, how the Cherokee language got written down, and many more.
• Learn more about what “two spirit” means and hear about gender roles in Indigenous communities in an episode of the InQueery series,(Open external link) which explores LGBTQ+ culture.
• Listen to the “Land of the Lenape”(Open external link) episode of the Bowery Boys podcast, which tells the story of the Indigenous people who lived in what we call New York City before the Europeans arrived, and their gradual, forced removal from their homeland.