Ethnic Studies emerged as a unique activist discipline in the nation’s college and universities during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Yet, its
potential remains in need of a renewed advocacy. At a moment when the state of Oregon prepares to implement Ethnic Studies across the K-12 landscape, how can we apply this community-focused approach to learning and community-building to facilitate solidarities and social justice? How can we all support Ethnic Studies, and articulate its necessity? Dr. Barnd will discuss the history and potentials of Ethnic Studies, and explain why we must act before it becomes the next target of organized social
and political backlash against the work of anti-racism.
Dr. Natchee Blu Barnd is an associate professor of Ethnic Studies and Native American Studies at Oregon State University, and coordinator for
the Ethnic Studies department. He is a comparative and critical Ethnic Studies scholar interested in the intersections between Ethnic Studies, cultural geography, and Indigenous studies. Dr. Barnd is the author of the award-winning book Native Space: Geographic Strategies to Unsettle Settler Colonialism. He works closely on research and teaching projects with the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz.
