BEDI Council Members Visit Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
BEDI Advisory Council members visit the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, home to a collection of items related to the Seminole Indians.
On Saturday, August 26, 2023, seven members of Nova Southeastern University’s Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (BEDI) Advisory Council toured the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation.
NSU staff and faculty members Arkene Levy, Eileen Petzold-Bradley, Jessica Valenzuela, Jennifer Berne, Lisa Quinn, Sarena Williams, Laura Ramirez, and Arnetta Pierce were guided by Seminole Tribe Member Van V. Samuels, the museum educator, through the museum and a mile-long walk along a boardwalk through the Everglades
BEDI Advisory Council members gather on the Seminole Tribe’s “Ceremonial Grounds Kitchen,” an open-sided structure made from palmetto and cypress.
All the council members expressed their gratitude to learn more about the Seminole people and experience their rich cultural and historical ties to the Southeast and Florida.
Members of the NSU’s BEDI Advisory Council are taking steps to foster outreach initiatives and building an authentic process of establishing a land acknowledgment dialogue with the various indigenous communities in the locations of each NSU campus. This includes being a “Tree Island” corporate sponsor, where NSU will be listed on their website and be able to attend other events such as the upcoming American Indigenous Arts Celebration (AIAC) in November.
Future initiatives will include inviting representatives from the Seminole Tribe of Florida to visit NSU and attend special educational events at NSU including Native American Heritage Month and the annual Diversity Summit planned for April 2024.
Find out more about upcoming BEDI Events here.
Posted 09/10/23