Fall Speaker Series: How Diverse is Your Diversity?

Please join us for our opening session of this important speaker series! To attend RSVP to bryantja@appstate.edu. Hope to see you there!

 

Celebrating Elders Day

 Today is Elder's Day on the Qualla Boundary. By act of Tribal Council, a day set aside for honoring the wisdom and lived experience of our elders. America could learn something from this. Our elders are not burdens; they are blessings. Whether you are Cherokee or not, whether you are Native or not, take a moment today and reach out to an elder. Thank them, value them, and love them. #Gadugi #GoBraves #EBCIStrong

Student Government Association Statement & Gadugi

The Gadugi Partnership is a proud co-signatory to the statement from ASU's Student Government Association regarding Black Lives Matter and the need to improve diversity on our campus. The statement calls on ASU to:

• Advocate for more faculty, staff and mental health counselors of color
• Advocate for the immediate name change of all residential halls that are named after confederate soldiers/leaders/generals
• Hold ourselves and our university accountable for discriminatory actions, images, signs, and slurs used by any professor and/or student/faculty
• Work with all Intercultural Student Affairs organizations and advocate for their needs
• Revisit and review the 2017 demands of the App State Student Power group
• Fix and advertise the bias reporting system
• Promote changes in legislation/policy and voting at the local, state and federal levels

S'gi to the student leaders committing to much-needed change. 

S'gi

To all my Cherokee family, friends, colleagues and, most importantly, students—thank you for everything! Today was my last day teaching at Cherokee High School, and these last seven years have been the professional highlight of my life. From class, to Indian tacos at my house, to football games and our trips to Georgia I have loved every minute I have spent with you, and I learned far, far more from you than I ever could have hoped to teach you. From all the miles and smiles (and a few tears) it has been an amazing and wonderful experience, and each of you has been a blessing to my life and that of my family. I love each one of you and keep you in my prayers every single day, as I hope you’ll remember me in yours. From the bottom of my heart I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Don’t ever settle or sell yourselves short, you guys are the most beautiful and talented youth on God's earth! You have inspired me daily. S’gi.

–Allen—

Happy Native American History Month!!

November 1st kicks off Native American History Month, so make sure you celebrate and educate! The month was established on August 3, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. Check back throughout this month for more celebration of the contributions of America's First People.

THIS SATURDAY!!!!

Please don't forget this Saturday's special ceremony on our campus celebrating the opening of our Cherokee garden!

Coming Soon....

MMIW North Carolina March, May 4th

Our Coharie Visit

This week we had the opportunity to visit with our friends in the Coharie tribe! Hoping we can spread the spirit of Gadugi across the state, we delivered books for the lending library in the Coharie Tribal Center that were donated through a book drive. We also had the honor of preparing, serving, and sharing a meal with a group of Coharie elders. Tribal Administrator Greg Jennings shared with us the history of his people and their current strengths and struggles. We learned about their effort to clean up the Coharie River, work that has already seen over 30 miles of river cleared of debris and trash. The elders shared with us their powerful stories, including growing up in a segregated community.

The students worked incredibly hard and, as always, were fantastic ambassadors for Cherokee High School. And we are very grateful to the Coharie community for their warm hospitality. We made friendships that will grow and last!

S'gi!

Manning the stove!

Thanks to many generous donations during our book drive,

we delivered several boxes of children's books and young adult novels for

the Coharie Tribal Center library

We prepared, served, and shared a meal with

Coharie elders, who shared with us their stories

Coharie Dinner & Visit

Gadugi Scholars with Coharie elders and leadership

More Easter fun ;)

Easter Fun

Gadugi Scholars were thrilled to partner with our dear friends at the Dora Reed Childcare Center to help celebrate Easter! Thanks to the faculty, staff, and, of course, the amazing and beautiful children!! Have a great holiday!

2019 Arizona Swayney Blankenship Lecture: Arizona Jane Blankenship

The Arizona Swayney Blankenship Lecture is JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!

2019 Arizona Swayney Blankenship Lecture

Hope you will join us!

Cherokee Spring Experience

We had an amazing week working at the Dora Reed Head Start and the Ernestine Walkingstick Shelter! Thank you to everyone who shared such kindness and hospitality with us, especially Marsha Jackson, Sarah Beck, Amanda Bradley, Nellie Littlejohn, and the entire Qualla Boundary community. We would also like to thank the great folks at Appalachian State University's ACT Office, especially Summer Wisdom, who helped make this adventure possible! A special shout-out to Taylor Comer and Abbey Zeugner for working so incredibly hard to make our week a truly life-changing time. S'gi to you all!!

CSE Team at Dora Reed

Enjoying our Tsalagi Care Package ;)

CSE Team at Mingo Falls in the community of Big Cove

CSE Team visiting the Cove of Seven Roses

Spring Break Friends

These amazing people helped make our time in Cherokee memorable! S'gi to you all!

The Unsinkable Nellie Littlejohn! The frybread hit the spot!!

Eight years of spring break fun! L-R, Denise McCoy, Amanda Bradley, Nellie Littlejohn

& Allen Bryant

2018 American Indian Film Series

The Gadugi Scholars Program and the Native American Student Association are pleased to sponsor our fourth annual American Indian Film Series as part of Gadugi and NASA's on-campus celebration of Native American History Month. The kickoff event is a screening of Woman Walks Ahead at I.G. Greer, followed by films in the Greenbrier Theater in ASU's Plemmons Student Union. Please join us for these special showings! 

The First Strawberries Event

Gadugi Scholars and students from Appalachian State University's Honors College had a great time working with the amazing folks and families at Dora Reed!! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family! Students read the children's story The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac (based on the ancient traditional Cherokee story) and made a craft with the kids. We had a great time!!

Our Stories, Our Future

S'iyo! The Gadugi Scholars Program is excited to announce an upcoming event at the Dora Reed Head Start Center. On October 25. Cherokee High School students and students from Appalachian State University's Honors College will team up to present the traditional Cherokee story The First Strawberries to Head Start children and their families! And thanks to a grant from ASU's Office of the Chancellor, every family will receive a copy of Joseph Bruchac's children's story based on the legend. Light snacks will be provided! Hope we see you there!!

Join us October 25th @5:00pm at Dora Reed!!

S'gi!