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Jordan Goodwin said that Indigenous Peoples’ Day should be addressed more by Syracuse University. The junior, a member of the Seneca Nation, said the university needs to be more active in educating the student population.

“The history of Indigenous people in general should be discussed, how diverse we are and where the university is occupied,” Goodwin said. “There should be a better dialogue within classes … where you learn a different topic on Indigenous history each week.”

The school does not do enough to promote the awareness of Indigenous events on campus, Goodwin said, and he feels that many people on campus don’t think Indigenous people are still prevalent at SU.

Goodwin and other Indigenous students expressed frustration with Columbus Day and the Christopher Columbus statue downtown. Many considered the U.S. holiday disrespectful toward Indigenous people and their ancestors. Indigenous students at Syracuse shared with The Daily Orange what the holiday means to them, what it’s like being on campus and what the university must do to create a more inclusive environment.

For some Indigenous students, SU is a lot more accepting than places they lived before. Onondaga member Brandon Silvas said non-Indigenous people around where he grew up in Alabama mocked Indigenous people and made racist remarks about his family.

“Everyone back home says they’re Native American. They’d say the stereotypical topic of my great grandmother was a ‘Cherokee princess,’ but that’s just not it,” Silvas said. “We aren’t some romanticized race. People need to understand the struggles of being an Indigenous person in a colonial society.”

Many Indigenous students at SU have thanked the university for the steps it has taken to make campus life more inclusive, but some still have demands, including greater discussion of Indigenous culture and the renovation of the Native Student Program.

“I’m happy that they have listened to our concerns and are now creating a small dialogue on campus,” Goodwin said.

Since the university instituted the land acknowledgement in 2014 that the campus stands on traditional Haudenosaunee land, dialogue amongst students has grown. But the wording isn’t perfect yet.

Goodwin said that during winter 2020, Indigenous students helped rewrite the land acknowledgement to be more diverse in its vocabulary. The updated acknowledgement has been approved, but not yet implemented.

River Gordon, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and Mohawk with family from Kahnawà:ke, believes more can be done to right history.

“Calling Indigenous Peoples’ Day over Columbus Day is like putting a bandaid on an open wound,” Gordon said.

River Gordon, an SU junior who is Mohawk with family from Kahnawà:ke, thinks more action is needed than just renaming Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Micaela Warren | Asst. Editorial Editor

One request made by Indigenous students on campus to be more inclusive toward Indigenous students was the hiring of a healer. As a result, Diane Schenandoah began her role as SU’s first Indigenous healer, which is a considerable step in helping Indigenous students, Goodwin said.

“It makes me happy and respected knowing that the university actually cares about Indigenous people. They’re making us feel more comfortable, especially for some who come off the reservation for the first time,” Silvas said.

Silvas added how important it is that every student who needs it is able to receive mental health treatment and that Indigenous students finally have a place to go.

While Indigenous students at SU continue to create change on campus, they haven’t lost focus on a critical debate happening in the greater Syracuse area: whether to remove the Christopher Columbus statue.

Gordon said having the Columbus statue standing downtown is “like putting a middle finger in our face.”

“You wouldn’t put a statue of Hitler in public, so why continue to celebrate Columbus?” Gordon said.

She elaborated on how the statue symbolizes a constant reminder of the systemic racism seen throughout the U.S. People who committed racist acts are still idolized through statues like the one downtown despite the genocide, famine and destruction Columbus incited.

Within recent years, the statue in Columbus Circle has created controversy between Indigenous people and Italian Americans. Last year, Mayor Ben Walsh addressed the decision to relocate the statue despite tension between community members and local activists.

“I believe not only the university but the city of Syracuse should continue to climb the ladder of reconciliation and put their feet in our shoes for a day,” Goodwin said.

Indigenous students at SU plan to advocate for important issues on the Quad during Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Tehosterihens Deer | Contributing Writer

On Monday, the Indigenous students at Syracuse University will be on the Quad in the Orange Grove to bring attention to many Indigenous concerns that burden them in their daily lives. Starting Monday at noon until 2 p.m., Indigenous students encourage everyone at SU to take a moment and reflect on Indigenous issues and lives.

Many Indigenous students created posters ahead of the federal holiday that focus on key issues. Silvas explained that posters are a way to bring up topics that haven’t reached major media outlets and educate students who wish to learn more about Indigenous issues.

“When we are on the Quad, this allows students to come eye to eye and have an understanding of what we go through every day, to walk a mile in our shoes and see the differences we endure each day,” Silvas said.

Published on October 11, 2021 at 1:14 am