UAA celebrates and honors Native Heritage Month | News [Video]

Students and community members filled a packed room at the UAA. It’s their first-ever Native Heritage Month celebration.

“Any time we get together and celebrate who we are, then really that that really speaks volumes of the strength and resiliency of our ancestors and uncles and of their descendants of us,” says Jessica Ross whose an assistant professor at UAA.

“Visibility and space to celebrate our identity as Native people in our worldview, especially in Alaska,” said Dawn Randazzo, Alaska Native Indigenous Outreach Coordinator with UAA.

From traditional Native dancing to educational materials about programs at UAA, plus a Native fashion show, there was something for everyone.

Some people Your Alaska Link spoke with shares why Native Heritage Month is important to them.

“Being able to express myself, being able to recognize what has happened does not define me,” said Anastasia Tiernan, a student at UAA.

“We are not being …