April 8, 2021

Media Contact: 
Livia Millard, multicultural coordinator, lmillard@wvc.edu 
Dr. Kestrel Smith, American Indian Indigenous Studies faculty, ksmith@wvc.edu
Belinda Brown Raub, Green Campus co-chair and student body president, bbrown-raub7019@wvc.edu
Libby Siebens, WVC community relations executive director, 509-682-6436

Associated Students of Wenatchee Valley College at Omak presents “haʔntíxʷ iʔ‿tmxʷúlaʔxʷ uł niʕ̓íp txt̓ntsis: Respect the Earth and She will Always Take Care of You” with Dr. Jeannette Armstrong. This Zoom webinar event is part of the Earth Day celebration on Tuesday, April 20 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Participants can register at bit.ly/3218GfO.

Dr. Armstrong will discuss the ethical concepts that underpin the traditional ecological knowledge practiced from her Syilx Okanagan perspective. The way that people interact with the lands they occupy is intricately intertwined with the way they interact with each other. She will address how we can seek ancestral knowledge in order to impact the next generation and the importance of intimacy with the land, taking responsibility for relationships, and building resilient communities in the face of cultural and environmental destruction.

Dr. Armstrong is an award-winning Okanagan-Canadian author and artist. She is a fluent speaker in Okanagan/Nsyilxcn and a traditional knowledge keeper of the Syilx Okanagan people. A renowned international leader in Indigenous and environmental education, she is the founder of the En’owkin Centre, the knowledge and arts institution of higher learning of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. Dr. Armstrong has a Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics and Syilx Indigenous Literatures and is a recipient of the Eco Trust USA Buffett Award in Indigenous Leadership and the Peter Buffett Award for Indigenous Leadership.

Learn more about WVC’s commitment to sustainability and other Earth Day 2021 events at wvc.edu/Sustainability.

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu.

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses:

• To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.
• To request disability accommodations: Director of Student Access, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.