Get Involved
Info and resources for celebrating diversity as well as ADEI related activities within the school and local community.
Celebrate Diversity
“You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way!”
―Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
Stay Connected
- Please bookmark and visit the ADEI webpages (this is one of them!) for further details on resources, upcoming events, and ways to get involved!
If you would like to get involved in other ways or have community-building ideas, please reach out to Ann Marie Yamada.
Get Involved
- To support a professional and inclusive learning environment we have designed some school spirit Zoom backgrounds. The Zoom backgrounds in this Google Drive folder are a few to consider using during class.
Have your own design idea? Official school Zoom backgrounds must follow USC identity guidelines and be consistent with our student code of conduct. Send your designs in for consideration to be added to our selection!
Cultural and Identity Celebration Months
Featured Monthly Celebration
Native American Heritage Month - November 2024
“The secret of our success is that we never, never give up”
— JWilma Mankiller, Native American Activist and Social Worker
November is Native American Heritage Month! Also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, this is a time to recognize the history, culture, and contributions of Indigenous people.
National Native American Heritage Month was recognized federally for the first time in the United States in 1990. However, the creation of Native American Heritage Month traces its roots back to New York State at the turn of the twentieth century, and specifically to the Seneca archaeologist, Dr. Arthur C. Parker. As the director of the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Parker fought for a federal recognition day for Native Americans throughout the early 1900s. In no small part due to his advocacy, New York became the first state to recognize “American Indian Day” in May 1916—a first step on the path to the month-long recognition we have today.
During Native American Heritage Month, it is important not just to celebrate the legacy that Indigenous history makers have left, but also to celebrate those who continue to shape our society, lead their communities, and impact our culture today. This month, and all year long, we celebrate these barrier-breaking Native Americans, like Marine Colonel Nicole Mann, the first female Native American to travel to space in October 2022, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who became the first Indigenous Cabinet member in U.S. history in 2021, among countless others.
Sources:
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month | NYC Public Schools
Learn More
Celebrating Native American Heritage Month at USC
Celebrating National Native American Heritage Month | U.S. Senate
Native American Heritage Month | National Archives
Native American Heritage Month | American Library Association
A Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month, 2023
Diane Humetewa: First Female Native American Federal Judge | U.S. Courts
Upcoming USC Events
Visit the Native American Heritage Month Event Calendar for events happening around USC.
Native American Heritage Month Celebration - Wednesday, November 13, 2024 @ 12pm to 1:30pm [In Person]
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with USC, honoring this year’s theme, “Indigenous Innovations: Celebrating our Creativity and Ingenuity.”
Location: Hahn Central Plaza; intersection of Trousdale Parkway and Childs Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Rossier's Native American Heritage Book Club - Tuesday, December 3, 2024 @ 12pm [In Person and Zoom]
Join us in a discussion on Little Woman Warrior Who Came Home by EvangelineParsons Yazzie
This book offers a unique perspective on the Navajo Long Walk, presented through the lens of Navajo people by Dr. Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie, a former Professor of Navajo Language at Northern Arizona University and a respected expert on the Long Walk. Dr. Parsons-Yazzie initially wrote the story in Navajo, later translating it into English, which highlights the significance of bilingual storytelling in preserving cultural heritage and providing readers with an authentic, immersive experience.
The book’s focus on the often-untold history of the Long Walk is especially impactful. This traumatic event forced thousands of Navajo women and children to march hundreds of miles, only to endure years of hardship, starvation, and mistreatment in captivity. Yet from this tragedy, our language and culture played a vital role in negotiating the Treaty of 1868. As Navajo people, we are deeply grateful to our ancestors for securing this treaty, which allows us to live within the four sacred mountains on 27,000 square miles, or 17.5 million acres, of our ancestral land.
Join in engaging conversation with Dean Noguera and President of the Navajo Nation, Buu Van Nygren
Location: WPH B49 or Zoom (Register for link)
Registration Link (Registration closes 11/22)
Get Involved
USC’s Native American Student Assembly
The Native American Student Union at the University of Southern California is a cultural and educational organization for self-identifying American Indian students, as well as any other student or community member interested in American Indian issues and culture. NASU is dedicated to building a community among its members and to enriching the diversity of the University community.
USC’s Native American Pasifika (NAP) Lounge
The Native American and Pasifika Lounge provides a space for identifying students as well as all who are interested to explore Native American and Pasifika identities that have ancestral land, federally recognized or not. The NAP Lounge provides a space where conversations about the Native and Pasifika experience are welcome, culture is celebrated, and knowledge about the Native and Pasifika identity is shared.
If you are interested in partnering with us on programming or need more information, please reach out to Danielle West, SEIP Multicultural Coordinator, westdani@usc.edu.
Location: Student Union 403; 3601 Trousdale Pkwy Suite 101, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Native American Heritage Month Spotify Playlist
A playlist curated by USC’s Native American Student Assembly to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.