Observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an observed holiday that occurs annually on the second Monday of October and recognizes the Indigenous peoples as well as their histories. Though formerly known as Columbus Day for Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas, the day is commemorated now towards the Indigenous peoples and their cultures and accomplishments. Keep reading to hear how UCLA student organizations are recognizing and celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The UCLA College Social Sciences, American Indian Studies department has compiled a list of Indigenous organizations at UCLA, along with a brief description of what makes each organization unique. For a list of the student organizations, click the link below.  

Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

ASUCLA has recently reached out to SACNAS for Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month as well. Emil Dominguez, co-president of UCLA SACNAS, described the chapter and its events in a recently-published ASUCLA blog on Aug. 28, 2024. To read more from the previous ASUCLA blog, click the link below. 

Or, to learn about the UCLA chapter of SACNAS, email sacnas.ucla@gmail.com or click here. For the UCLA Community webpage on SACNAS, click here.

ASUCLA contacted a handful of the clubs designed to represent Indigenous peoples and their heritage on campus. The following clubs were contacted but did not respond at the time of publication; however, this is not an exhaustive list of Indigenous clubs and organizations at UCLA.

American Indian Graduate Student Association (AIGSA)

To join AIGSA, email aigsa@g.ucla.edu or click the link below for more.

American Indian Student Association (AISA) 

Interested in learning more about AISA? Email aisa.ucla@gmail.com for any inquiries or visit the link below for more. 

Native American Law Students Association (NALSA)

For those interested in learning about NALSA and potentially joining, email nalsa@lawnet.ucla.edu or click the link below. 

For details on all of the organizations on campus, click the link below to access the UCLA Community’s full list of student organizations.