Decolonizing the University of California, Los Angeles: Reconnecting to Indigenous Roots

• In Event: 52.083 - Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: 52.083-4 - Achieving the Promise for Indigenous Peoples: Research and Praxis I

Abstract

Drawing on my ancestral knowledge, this presentation traces the role of the UC system in the dispossession of California Indians through the examination of historic state documents. I also present questions on the legal and moral responsibility that the UC system and universities more broadly have to Indigenous communities based on land dispossession. In recent years, universities across the nation have made inroads to partner with local tribal communities or make amends for their role in the disenfranchisement of Native people (i.e. Northwestern University, Denver University, and Arizona State University). However, the relationship between California tribal communities and California postsecondary institutions has been virtually unexplored. Therefore, I will end by proposing ideas for how institutions can enter into respectful, trustworthy, communicative and reciprocal relationships with tribal communities, drawing from community-campus partnership models (Barrera, 2012; 2015).

Author

• Theresa Stewart-Ambo, University of California - Los Angeles