UMB celebrated Native American Heritage Month with a keynote from Keith Colston and student dialogue on leadership and representation.
November at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) marks Native American Heritage Month — a time to recognize and honor the cultures, heritages, and living practices of Indigenous peoples who have stewarded these lands for generations. UMB celebrates this month by elevating the leadership, achievements, and enduring contributions of Native American trailblazers whose work continues to shape public health, law, education, and community well-being.
This year’s program featured E. Keith Colston, administrative director of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs and a citizen of the Tuscarora and Lumbee tribes. Colston led a powerful dialogue on the impact of Native representation across professional fields and how Indigenous leadership drives structural change. Students actively engaged, asking about best practices for building sustainable student organizations that can support Native American students on campus. His message resonated across the room, especially his reminder: “Know who you are so nobody else tells you who you are supposed to be.”
Hosted in collaboration with the Health Sciences and Human Services Library and sponsored by the Student Success Center, the event also provided students with copies of “There There” by Tommy Orange, a donation from Maryland Humanities.
The gathering highlighted the achievements of Native leaders, sparked meaningful conversation among students, and reinforced UMB’s commitment to fostering learning, dialogue, and community engagement across campus.