Indigenous Language Path Working Group
Background
President Fenves announced the reappointment and expansion of the Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations in October 2020. In their report, delivered on April 1, 2021, the Task Force proposed a number of recommendations to memorialize Indigenous peoples who previously lived on land now owned by Emory, including the development of "physical reminders and remembrance rituals on campus, such as a Muscogee (Creek) Language Path that highlights Muscogee language and knowledge."
In fall 2021, the Emory Board of Trustees approved an official Land Acknowledgment Statement that "acknowledges the Muscogee (Creek) people who lived, worked, produced knowledge on, and nurtured the land where Emory's Oxford and Atlanta campuses are now located" and announced Emory's commitment to humbly and continually "seek to honor the Muscogee Nation and other Indigenous caretakers."
Charge
Building on the recommendations of the Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations, President Fenves charged the Indigenous Language Path Working Group with:
- Drafting a Request for Proposals for landscape and other artists to design physical reminders on the Oxford and Atlanta campuses that highlight Muscogee land and knowledge in relation to the land and history, and places for sharing knowledge.
- Developing plans for facilitating community input on the design proposals.
- Conducting research about Emory's history and its relations to Native American and Indigenous peoples that is relevant for the development of this project and sharing that research with the Emory Libraries to build on archives and materials.
- Identifying opportunities for future academic and community collaborations to foster a pedagogy of place and proposing ways to orient the campus communities to the physical reminders and educate the community about their significance through continued engagement with Indigenous communities, annual events, campuswide programming, and orientation for new students to the Oxford and Atlanta campuses.
The working group, co-chaired by Professor Malinda Maynor Lowery, Cahoon Family Professor in American History, and the Rev. Gregory W. McGonigle, University Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life, presented their recommendations to the president.
To commemorate Indigenous Peoples Day, view a video of the Land Acknowledgment adopted by Emory last year. The statement recognizes the Muscogee and other Indigenous nations who were displaced in the years before Emory's founding.
Learn More about the Land Acknowledgment Statement and Watch the Video
Working Group Membership
Co-Chairs
Professor Malinda Maynor Lowery
Cahoon Family Professor in American History, Emory College
Rev. Gregory W. McGonigle
University Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Hope Bussenius | Associate Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing |
| Jack A. Hardy | Assistant Professor, Linguistics, Oxford College |
| Darren Hutchinson | Professor of Law and John Lewis Chair for Civil Rights and Social Justice, School of Law |
| Megan E. O'Neil | Assistant Professor, Art History, Emory College of Arts and Sciences |
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Iliyah N. Bruffett 23C | Undergraduate |
| Stephanie N. Bryan | Graduate Student |
| Sierra Louise Talavera-Brown 23C | Undergraduate |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Zachary Cole | Chief of Staff, Office of the Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life |
| Taina Figueroa | Assistant Director, Office for Racial and Cultural Engagement, Campus Life |
| James Johnson | Project Manager, Campus Services |
| Beth Michel | Associate Dean of Admission, Office of Undergraduate Admission |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Ciannat M. Howett | Associate Vice President, Office of Resilience, Sustainability, and Economic Inclusion |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Klamath Henry 19C | Master's student (anthropology), California State University–Fullerton |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Rev. Chebon Kernell | Executive Director, Native American Comprehensive Plan, and Executive Secretary of Native American and Indigenous Ministries of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church |
