SUNY SA Statement on Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Immediate Release: Sept. 10, 2016
Contact: Tyler McNeil, Tyler.McNeil@sunysa.org
Five months ago, the Student Assembly of the State University of New York passed with an overwhelming majority, a resolution calling for the State University of New York to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Today, we stand by that decision.
The State University of New York is an institution of higher education dedicated to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNYSA) seeks a continued commitment to those values through the celebration and education of our students and communities about the rich history and culture of the Native Peoples whose ancestral homelands SUNY campuses now reside upon. In doing so, SUNYSA joins countless other institutions of higher education nation-wide in adopting and advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a day of recognition, celebration, and education of indigenous history and culture.
While this brief statement can only represent a limited perspective of the complex history and culture of Native Peoples, it reinforces the responsibility the State University of New York to consider where we stand within that complex history.
About the Student Assembly of the State University of New York
The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is an organization comprised of student leaders elected by their peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses. Empowering students throughout the state, the SUNY SA is committed to student life and ensuring the representation of its members on the state and national level as well as throughout the SUNY system.