CSUB forming Indigenous Faculty and Staff Association

Group aims to raise awareness of indigenous community, keep cultures alive

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 8^th, 2021

California State University, Bakersfield’s indigenous faculty and staff will soon have a new way to come together and share their experiences.

The Division of Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance within the Office of the President is forming an Indigenous Faculty and Staff Association that would join CSUB’s other affinity groups, including the Latina/o Faculty and Staff Association and the Black Faculty and Staff Association.

“The goal is really to provide a space to create visibility of indigenous people not only on campus but in our community and also provide support for folks who either want to be allies in support of indigenous people or are indigenous themselves,” said Dr. Claudia Catota, chief diversity officer and special assistant to the president.

The division is currently in the process of gathering interested faculty and staff members on campus, after which a meeting will be held that will shape the leadership structure, mission and purpose of the association, Dr. Catota said. The meeting is expected to take place within the next few weeks.

The association will be open to all current faculty and staff regardless of ethnicity and race.

The formation of the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Association comes after CSUB completed a land acknowledgement this summer with the Tejon Tribe, recognizing the original residents of the land that the university is on.

Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) Coordinator Christina Contreras, who identifies as indigenous, said she recently approached Dr. Catota about wanting to start an association for indigenous faculty and staff and has spearheaded the effort.

“I thought it would be a good idea to create a space for faculty and staff to come together, to talk about issues and learn more about each other’s cultures,” she said. “I’m excited for this. I think it’s been long overdue, but I’m glad that we’re getting started. I’m look forward to seeing the group grow and progress.”

Contreras was inspired to pursue the development of an association by a Native American religion course she had taken last year as a student at CSUB prior to her graduation in the fall.

Contreras said she learned a lot about Native American history and culture that she didn’t know before and that it made her want to reconnect with her culture, which she said she has been disconnected from for most of her life.

Contreras hopes the association could provide a similar experience for other indigenous faculty and staff on campus.

“One of my goals is to have the members of the group be able to reconnect with their cultures, to celebrate their cultures,” she said. “Not all indigenous cultures are the same. Learning from one another would help us re-establish that connection. I think that’s really important, especially in this day and age.”

Contreras hopes the association will also be able to raise more awareness of the indigenous community at CSUB.

“It’s important to educate the campus community,” she said. “We are still here and our cultures are still alive.”

Contreras said she looks forward to meeting other indigenous faculty and staff on campus and seeing the impact the association will have on the local indigenous community over time.

“There is a fear out there that tribal culture is going to die, but I think starting groups like this will help to maintain that culture and help to grow it,” she said. “Reconnecting with the land, reconnecting with the culture is vital to our survival as a people.”