New Mexico State University’s Honor College in conjunction with the American Indian Program will welcome Michele Companion, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, to campus at 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 5, for Taking Root: Confronting Urban Native American Food Challenges Through Empowerment and Community.
The lecture will be at the American Indian Student Center on campus where Companion will discuss the opportunities, constraints and challenges for local urban gardening programs.
Companion has worked extensively as a food and livelihood security consultant to international humanitarian aid organizations. Her teaching and research interests include federal Indian policy, Native communities, indigenous rights, international development, social movements, social problems, and food and livelihood security issues.
Honors College Dean Miriam Chaiken said while the focus of the lecture is on the Native American population the more we can promote the production of food the better.
“All Americans are grappling with the challenge of understanding how our health is affected by our food choices. The challenge to have a healthy diet, and to feel you have control over your access to food is a common dilemma across the nation. This especially is a challenge for Native American families, whether they are urban or rural,” Chaiken said. “Every time we step out of our own lived experience, and we learn about others, we find the ways that our lives are unique, and we also find our shared commonality.”
The lecture is free and open to anyone in the community. For more information contact the Honors College at 575-646-2005 or the American Indian Student Center at 575-646-4207.
Information from NMSU