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.
Community Engagement Sessions
In spring 2022, the Indigenous Language Path Working Group engaged Kauffman & Associates to lead listening sessions with members of the Emory community. Building on insights from the initial visit, Kauffman & Associates returned in fall 2022 to lead additional engagement sessions on the Oxford and Atlanta campuses to refine and discuss the community’s ideas and perspectives. Read the engagement reports here:
