Diversity Newsletter November 2020

THE CURRENT CAT

Hello! My name is Sammy Garrett, and I'm the assistant coordinator for departmental initiatives in the Smurthwaite Scholarship and Leadership House. I'm excited to bring to you the November edition of the Housing and Dining Services Diversity Newsletter! This month, I wanted to share information on the history of Thanksgiving, current events, and tips and tricks for winding down the semester. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to me at sjgarrett@k-state.edu.

TOPICS OF THE MONTH

Thanksgiving Watch this video to learn about the true history of Thanksgiving and the origin of the holiday. As the video explains, Thanksgiving was not a celebratory meal shared between ‘Pilgrims’ and Indigenous groups. Entire groups of Indigenous people were completely wiped out by disease brought over by the European colonizers. The first ‘Thanksgiving’ was a hostile agreement between the two groups to which the Indigenous community was not welcome at first.   If you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, enjoy that time and celebrate tradition, but it is also important to recognize the history of the holiday and what it can represent.

Native American Heritage Month Did you know that it is Native American Heritage month?! Check out this video to learn more about the month and what it can mean for Indigenous people. You can also learn more about Native culture by clicking on the links below: Learn about traditional dances and regalia of native groups in this video. Listen to interviews by several Indigenous people interviewed about their experiences in the United States in this video. Learn more about the importance of native hair in this video.

ELECTION FATIGUE

In case there weren’t enough historical events taking place in 2020, a presidential election has also taken place. Regardless of your thoughts on the outcome, election fatigue is a very real and valid experience. The week of the election could have caused you stress and anxiety as you were watching results come in. Even if you tried to avoid seeing it, it is challenging to go anywhere or open any form of social media without seeing posts or comments about it.    Check out this post by @DiversifyOurNarrative on Instagram for election mental health resources, from podcasts to apps you could use.

ACTION STEPS

Learn more about a holiday that you are not familiar with in this article. Sign a petition on change.org to advocate for native rights.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Diversity Ted Talk of the Month Lumhe and Samsoche Sampson teach the audience about the traditional hoop dance, several Indigenous cultures, and how these dances help them see the world before performing the dance.

Social Justice Alliance Are you interested in social justice and engaging in tough conversations at K-State? The Social Justice Alliance is a student organization that strives to create change on campus and advocate for the student experience. Meetings are held Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom at ksu.zoom.us/j/98490916556. Everyone is welcome!

Wholesome TikTok of the Month Apparently there is a theme with adorable pugs on TikTok, but this video is sure to bring a smile to your face!

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