Perspectives in Health, Law, and Human Services: Indigenous Languages and Cultures in Our Practice

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 2019 as International Year of Indigenous Languages. The UMB Writing Center, Center for Global Education Initiatives, and Office of International Services have officially joined the worldwide programming with a discussion of decolonial perspectives and practices in health and human services education here at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Event Details

Thursday, November 21, 2019
3:30 - 5 p.m.
SMC Campus Center, Elm Ballroom B

Come and learn about the Indian Child Welfare Act and its connections to current health and human services education and practice before engaging in a curated dialogue focused on how we, as students, faculty, and practitioners can work with Indigenous communities to provide more equitable health, legal, and human services.

Refreshments will be served following the event.

If you need an accommodation, please contact the UMB Writing Center at writingcenter@umaryland.edu by November 14, 2019.

Agenda

3:30-3:40 p.m.
Land acknowledgement by the Baltimore American Indian Center’s Christine Duckworth, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

Hand drum song in honor of missing and murdered Indigenous women by Baltimore American Indian Center’s Jennifer Folayan, Pueblo, Cherokee, and Azetc

3:40-3:45 p.m.
Opening comments and introduction of keynote speaker and panelists by the UMB Writing Center’s James Wright

3:45 - 4:15 p.m.
Keynote Address: Rebecca Nagle

How have the institutions of law, medicine, and social work impacted Native families and Native communities? This talk will start broad and get specific, focusing on the Indian Child Welfare Act or ICWA. When the ICWA was passed in 1978, 25-35% of Native children had been taken away from their families and were being raised in non-Native homes. Native American tribes lost a third of one generation. Today, more than forty years later, half of U.S. states are out of compliance with the law, and a small and well-funded group is working to get it declared unconstitutional.

Designed for UMB faculty and students who currently or in the future may interact with Native law and Native youth in their profession, this talk will cover the importance of respecting Native cultures, families, and tribal sovereignty.

4:15 - 4:45 p.m.
Panel Discussion

4:45 p.m.
Closing Reception