Deliberate dialogue
Photographer offers views of Native American life
Liberty University’s Center for Multicultural Enrichment (Center4ME) is hosting a Deliberate Dialogue event Nov. 3 to share information about Native American culture.
This event is one of many that the Center4ME hosts throughout the year during different celebrated heritage months, according to Associate Director for the Leadership Excellence and Academic Development Fellowship program,Stephanie Smith.
Smith is part of the LEAD Fellowship, which is designed to prepare undergraduate students to excel and develop, according to the Center4ME website.
This program offers support for the growth of students both spiritually and intellectually.
“Deliberate dialogues are a part of our multicultural competence model specifically addressing knowledge,” Smith said.
These events allow students to engage in learning opportunities on different cultural topics by hearing from expert speakers through presentations and reflective activities, according to Smith.
The tagline for these events is “intentional discussions with the goal of invoking change.”
This month’s event is titled “Changing the Way We See Native America,” and will be covered by Matika Wilbur — a renowned photographer who captures the reality of Native American tribes through her photography.
SKY — Mary Evelyn from the Pueblo of Isleta. Photo credit: Matika Wilbur
According to Wilbur’s website, Project562.com, Wilbur has been traveling to national tribes all across the United States to photograph their citizens since 2012.
“We are striving to address some of the stereotypes and historical inaccuracies that are normally associated with the Native American culture,” Smith said.
Wilbur’s Project 562 is working to educate the nation by providing photographs of members of each tribe. This project is working to unveil the true essence of contemporary native issues and the beauty of each culture.
“Students will see incredible imagery and a first-person perspective of Native American culture,” Smith said. “They should expect to gain knowledge from a culture that many may not be too familiar with.”
The hope is that students will leave this event with a different and more educated perspective of Native American culture.
This is the ultimate goal for each of the events that the Center4ME is sharing with the student body.
“Many stereotypes come about because of a lack of knowledge,” Smith said. “I am hoping that students can gain some insight into this particular culture during this Deliberate Dialogue.”
Project 562 works to humanize the members of this “vanishing race” through photography,and share their stories that have been passed from generation to generation. According to Project562.com, Wilbur believes she is welcomed into these tribes because people are ready to see this change and learn about the history of these cultures.
The Center4ME will hold Deliberate Dialogue events in February, March and April to discuss African American, Irish American and Asian American/Pacific Islander heritage and history months, respectively. Each of these events will take place in the Center4ME event space in the Montview Student Union.
“Changing the Way We See Native America” will take place Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Center4ME event space, Montview room 2570.
WHittaker is a feature reporter.