 November is Native American Heritage Month, or as it is commonly referred to, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. This is also an opportune time to educate your employees about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. Your entire team should be able to openly discuss and celebrate various cultural and ethnic backgrounds—and HR leaders should encourage these conversations. There are 5.2 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the U.S., and it’s possible your team includes folks with Native heritage. Moreover, recognizing and celebrating your team’s racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds can help build psychological safety and employee engagement! Native Americans are the most impoverished of all ethnic communities; a recent NPR poll revealed that 54% of Native Americans living in tribal communities say they have been discriminated against when applying for jobs. It’s about time to recognize both the rich histories of our colleagues and be aware of our own biases. Here are a few ways to honor and celebrate our rich Native heritage in the workplace.
Learn more about land where your office is located. Do you know what Indigenous lands you’re living and working on? There are a handful of handy maps that will help you do just that. Simply type in your address and discover which Indigenous people lived and took care of this land before us. When it comes to the workplace, you can acknowledge the land you’re on in a few ways:
Attend an event with your team. There are a lot of fun, educational events happening this month. So why not skip your typical Zoom happy hour and attend an event to learn more about Indigenous culture? Check out your local institutions—libraries, schools, community organizations, museums—for special events. Have your team read a book authored by a Native American. A great way to learn about Native American history and culture is to read stories authored by Native American authors. Support Native owned businesses. Browse a directory of Native American-owned businesses on The American Indian Business Alliance website—you can swap your office Starbucks brew with Native-owned and operated coffee beans. Listen to a podcast. Consider subscribing to a podcast that typically isn’t in your queue; the Native community has a ton of interesting podcasts that offer amazing Indigenous storytelling to share with your coworkers. Now remember—we shouldn't celebrate and commemorate Native Americans for a single month only. However, these holidays are an important step forward to bring visibility to traditionally marginalized communities and identities. Comments are closed.
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