Dinner on Us is administered by the Native American House (NAH) and is part of the Lunch on Us Series within Student Success, Inclusion & Belonging.
Dinner on Us is a biweekly one-hour evening program comprising scholar and practitioner-led workshops and a meal. Workshops either spotlight a specific campus resource or promote the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives about topics such as, but not limited to, the history of colonization, Indigenous-settler relationships, and Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
If you are interested in contributing to Dinner on Us as a presenter, please contact Dr. Charlotte Davidson, NAH Director, at drchar@illinois.edu.
Purpose
Dinner on Us aims to:
- Create positive and supportive relationships between students and the Native American House, including its partners.
- Address increased food insecurity among students by providing a free meal.
- Construct an institutional learning space (outside the classroom) for students to stay motivated and engaged in their educational journey.
Community Agreements for Attendees
To create a learning atmosphere in which presenters and attendees feel respected by and connected to one another, we ask everyone to:
- Show up with good intentions.
- Be a good relative by demonstrating behaviors of reciprocity, responsibility, and relationality.
- Respect everyone’s identity, ability, background, voice, experience, and boundaries.
Accommodations
Should you need accommodations (interpreting, live captioning, etc.), please contact Dr. Charlotte Davidson at drchar@illinois.edu or call the Native American House at (217) 265-0632.
Tuesday, September 10, 5:30 p.m.
Location: Asian American Cultural Center (1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana)
Building Stronger Communities: The Power of Effective Outreach
Speakers: Yanaba Shroeder (Diné/Navajo)
Program Description: This presentation will discuss the significance of community outreach programs, including Yanaba’s work with the Adopt-an-Elder Program and her leadership in implementing community gardens on the Navajo Nation. Yanaba will highlight the impact of effective outreach on community well-being and the vital role students can play in fostering positive change.
Tuesday, September 24, 5:30 p.m.
Location: Asian American Cultural Center (1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana)
Collaboration and Restitution at the Spurlock Museum
Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Sutton, Director, Spurlock Museum of World Cultures
Program Description: This discussion provides an overview of how the Spurlock Museum has worked towards becoming a better ally of Native nations over the last seven years. Through collaborations with artists, culture keepers, and descendants, the Museum is committed to amplifying Native voices and perspectives and returning important works to source communities.
Tuesday, October 22, 5:30 p.m.
Location: Asian American Cultural Center (1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana)
Managing Stress During an Election Season
Speakers: Native American Outreach Team -- Counseling Center
Program Description: This outreach will address how elections can be stressful and offer coping strategies when life feels overwhelming and out of control.
Tuesday, October 29, 5:30 p.m.
Location: Asian American Cultural Center (1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana)
Culture Not Costume: Cultural Appropriation Versus Cultural Appreciation. An I-Journey Workshop
Speaker: Diversity and Social Justice Education
Program Description: I-Journey workshops are peer-developed, peer-led workshops covering a variety of topics. Facilitated by trained student facilitators, I-Journey workshops explore issues of social identity, exclusion/inclusion, and being an ally.
Tuesday, November 5, 5:30 p.m.
Location: Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (1212 W. Nevada St., Urbana)
Storytelling Through the Lens of a Native Higher Education Scholar
Speakers: David Eby (Choctaw/Muscogee Creek)
Program Description: This presentation discusses the current research work David is pursuing for his doctoral degree. Specifically, he will explain his journey in higher education through stories with a synthesis of these stories that pull on themes apparent in the broader Native American higher educational community. Topics like identity, storytelling, and narrative construction are core concepts to David's research.
Tuesday, November 12, 5:30 p.m.
Location: Asian American Cultural Center (1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana)
A History of Diné Experiences in the Mormon Indian Placement Program
Speaker: Nathan Tannar, Ph.D. Candidate in Education Policy
Program Description: This presentation explores underexamined ecologies of education in the 20th century United States. From first-hand oral histories and archival documents, this presentation shares a history of Diné/Navajo who were removed from family and placed for varying periods of time with white Mormon foster families ostensibly to obtain an education.