On Indigenous Peoples' Day, Oklahoma Native Students Reflect On Heritage, 'Sooner' Legacy
Update: 2015-10-12
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Late last month, after extended discussion, the University of Oklahoma Student Congress officially recognized Indigenous Peoples' Day in place of Columbus Day on campus. The vote was a victory for its sponsors, Indigenize OU , a group of four Native American student activists. The leader of the group is Masters student Ashley McCray . She's an enrolled member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and also comes from the Lakota nations of Oglala and Sicangu . McCray believes that although Columbus Day isn’t a recognized holiday on the University of Oklahoma campus, the fact that it exists at all is disrespectful to Native populations. “Changing it to Indigenous Peoples' Day, is a little step but it's a first step to opening up the doors for communication between the native community and the rest of the student body,” McCray said. Indigenous Peoples' Day isn’t the only cause they are pursuing. They’ve also been protesting the use of the word Sooner on campus. McCray remembers growing
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