Native at Virginia Tech

10/21/2026

🎁 Toy Drive for Monacan Children! 🧸

Ati: Wa: Oki Indigenous Community Center is collecting toys for Monacan children and we would appreciate your support!

We are accepting:
New toys for children ages 0–16

Drop-Off Location:
Ati: Wa: Oki Indigenous Community Center
Squires Student Center, Room 122

Every donation helps us support Monacan families and bring a little extra joy to children in our community. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Questions? Please contact:
Dr. Melissa Faircloth: [email protected]
Alicia Aldaz: [email protected]

10/20/2026

10/12/2026

Indigenous Peoples’ Day | October 12
Join Native at Virginia Tech today as we celebrate and reflect on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We honor the ancestors who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial and recognize our responsibility to protect, care for, and sustain the lands and waters of Indigenous Peoples.

Today is an opportunity to raise awareness, learn from Indigenous communities, and engage with the ongoing issues, movements, and advocacy efforts across NDN Country. From Indigenous sovereignty and land back to food sovereignty, environmental justice, and cultural revitalization, there are countless ways to show up in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.

Advocacy does not start and end on this day. It is an ongoing commitment to learning, listening, building relationships, and taking action in support of Indigenous self-determination and the futures of our communities.

10/05/2026

Join Indigenous Studies for a full day of scholarship, knowledge, and conversation!

Starting today at 9:00 AM, come learn from and engage with Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, graduate students, and community members as we explore a diverse range of Indigenous topics, research, and knowledge.

📚 A full day of learning, sharing, and community!

✨ Free and Open to the Public!

We hope to see you there!

09/30/2026

Today, Sept. 30th, is Truth and Reconciliation Day or Orange Shirt Day. Beginning in 2013, in Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Day exists to honor and hold memory for the indigenous children abducted across Canada and the USA to be forcibly enroll in residential schools.

These children in these schools were forced to be isolated from their communities, often hundreds of miles from their families, to never to be seen again. At these schools, indigenous children faced abuses of various forms, starvation, persecution for their culture, and other atrocities.

Join Native at VT today and always in remembering these children, some of whom are relatives of ours, and in recognizing that EVERY CHILD MATTERS. EVERYWHERE.

09/17/2026

Gathering of Native Student Organizations in Virginia

Last weekend, Native students from UVA, VCU, and Virginia Tech came together for a meaningful gathering to connect, share, and build relationships across our communities.

Alongside Rachel Lawmaster from VSU who brought heirloom seeds and pumpkins to share with students, with support from the VSU Heritage Heirloom Garden.

This gathering was incredibly fulfilling. Students enjoyed food from the Gazpacho in the Garden event at the Morven Kitchen Garden, followed by campfire s’mores that evening. We also had the opportunity to talk about the work our organizations are doing, share ideas, and discuss how we can continue working together to support one another and strengthen Native student communities across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

We are so thankful for the hard work and dedication of UVA alumna Emma Block (Choctaw) in coordinating this gathering and bringing us together. We were also warmly welcomed by everyone at Morven Farm and are grateful for their hospitality.

It was wonderful to see so many Native students come together, share space, and build connections. We look forward to continuing to grow these relationships and support one another across our communities.

09/16/2026

Join Us for Our Next Native at VT Meeting!
Join us tomorrow from 6:30–7:30 PM at the Ati Wa: Oki Indigenous Community Center for our next Native at VT meeting!

For this meeting, we’ll be making wild grass brooms together! The activity will be led by our Native at VT President, Kailon Blue, who will provide a tutorial and guide us through the broom-making process. The wild grass used for the brooms was harvested and prepared by Kailon from Indigenous Community Garden at Virginia Tech.

All supplies will be provided, so just bring yourself and be ready to learn and create! Whether you’ve been involved with Native at VT before or are just learning about us, everyone is welcome. Bring a friend, too!

Food and beverages will be provided!
Have questions? DM our page or reach out to us directly. We hope to see you there!

09/07/2026

So great to see some of our students from Native at VT experience this trip!!!! 🎉

09/02/2026

Join Us for Our First Meeting of the Semester!
Join us tomorrow from 5:30–6:30 PM at the Ati Wa: Oki Indigenous Community Center for our first meeting of the semester!

We’ll be going over what to expect this semester, upcoming events and activities, ways to get involved, and opportunities to build community together.

Whether you’ve been involved before or are just learning about us, everyone is welcome! We’d love to meet you and have you join our community. Bring a friend too!

Food and beverages will be provided!
Have questions? DM our page or reach out to us directly. We hope to see you there!

09/01/2026

Check out the Indigenous Community Garden new volunteer times!

Welcome back, Hokies! 

We’re excited to announce our new volunteer hours for the Indigenous Community Garden (ICG)! 

Join us at the ICG:

Mondays: 4:00–6:00 PM

Sundays: 5:30–7:30 PM

Want to stay connected? Follow along for updates, upcoming events, and garden announcements by joining our GroupMe through the link in our bio! 

We’re so excited to see our community grow—both in the garden and together!