FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Over the last decade, the University of Arkansas has observed Indigenous Peoples' Day by having a ceremony at the Trail of Tears marker on Martin Luther King Boulevard. This year's event will consist of a virtual proclamation read by Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan due to COVID-19.
The University of Arkansas first recognized Indigenous Peoples' Day in 2004. Events on campus usually include University of Arkansas students and guests making a commemorative walk from the Student Union to the marker commemorating the site where the "Benge Detachment" of Cherokees camped while on the Trail of Tears in 1839.
"Our hope is to resume our annual walk next autumn and to raise awareness for the rich and complicated Native American history in Fayetteville," the University of Arkansas said in a press release.
This annual recognition is one of the oldest observances of Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States, the university says.
You can watch the full proclamation read by Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan below.