A message from Vice President Menah Pratt on Indigenous Peoples Day

To the university community,

Today we will observe Indigenous Peoples Day with a fuller understanding of the impact of our founding on Native peoples. Virginia Tech’s Sesquicentennial celebration has been an invaluable opportunity to thoughtfully consider our university’s history, including the Tutelo/Monacan people who are the historical stewards of the land on which we work and live in Blacksburg.

We recognize their enduring ties to the land and natural resources that continue to support our mission, and we honor the legacy of traditional peoples, past and present, in keeping with InclusiveVT, our institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence.

President Tim Sands believes this year’s event is particularly meaningful in light of our sesquicentennial celebration, noting, "Our sesquicentennial exploration inspired many important conversations, including a discussion with Kenneth Branham, chief of the Monacan nation, that lead to the creation of the Virginia Tech Tribal Match Scholarship that matches scholarships from any of Virginia’s 11 recognized tribes or the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium. It is important that we continue our conversations with Native peoples about their perspective, culture, and inherent knowledge about our shared history."

We encourage you to participate in today’s events, which include a morning panel discussion at Newman Library, an afternoon celebration at Solitude with music and food demonstrations, and an evening keynote address by noted scholar, activist, and writer Charlie Amaya Scott. More information is available here. 

And please take time this semester to visit our American Indian and Indigenous Community Center; meet our many indigenous faculty, staff, and students; and learn about the land that supports Virginia Tech’s mission and vision during American Indian and Indigenous Heritage month.

Let’s continue exploring our history together and keep the conversation going.

Menah Pratt
Vice President for Strategic Affairs and Diversity