Did you remember it’s Native American Heritage Month?

November is Native American Heritage Month, and most of Georgetown doesn’t even know it. Before I transferred from the University of Arizona, I was used to seeing Native Americans everywhere I went. Where I come from, every state university has a Native American club and a Native American Studies program. These schools are supported by Native teachers and have dozens—if not hundreds—of Native American students.

From the University of Montana to UCLA, Arizona State to Minnesota State, Native American students are present. Georgetown was the first campus where I thought to myself, “I’m probably the only Native American here.” Where were all the Native American student organizations and programs?

My story is quite familiar to Indian Country. With more and more opportunities to leave reservation life and attend schools elsewhere, Native Americans like me are starting to explore other options. Many cities across the country have always had sizable Native American populations dating back to the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. Indians were encouraged—and forced—to leave the reservation to become “civilized.”  The authors of this bill claimed that it encouraged Native Americans to acquire vocational skills and assimilate into the general population, but it actually forced these changes and exposed those who were left to severe racism. Although more opportunities were available beyond the reservations, they were unachievable.

A generation later, Native Americans began attending college. Many were relocated to L.A., New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Albuquerque, and Oklahoma City. They began enrolling their children in college and teaching their communities about real Native America. Washington, D.C. was not one of those cities. Native Americans were still largely unwelcome in the nation’s capital.

Colleges and cities became the battleground for Native pride during the 1970s, giving birth to Native American civil rights groups like the American Indian Movement. AIM drew national recognition for Indian Country when it staged a series of brave takeovers of Alcatraz Prison, Mount Rushmore, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in D.C. During the siege at Wounded Knee in 1973, Indians throughout the country were inspired to rediscover their roots and proudly express themselves for the first time in decades. College campuses were the only refuge where one could openly express Native culture.

The first Native American Studies program was offered at Princeton University in 1970. Students of Native American ancestry were encouraged to gather and plan events to celebrate their culture rather than assimilating to their surroundings. Colleges and universities throughout the 1970s and 1980s began welcoming Native Americans and paving the road for generations of Native students to attend. Rather than having to shed their own culture in exchange for a college degree, Native Americans could find a niche of their own while attending the nation’s best universities.

Georgetown comes up lacking in Native professors and Native students, especially when compared to other institutions. With so many different communities in D.C., Georgetown’s rich history, and our diverse student body, efforts to establish a Native American presence can be easily overlooked.

In the spirit of Native American Heritage Month, the Native American Student Council is reaching out to everyone of Native American ancestry. It’s time for Georgetown to give a voice to the most underrepresented group at Georgetown and start finding ways to integrate Native American culture, students, studies, and professors into the Hoya fabric.