The Vineyard Haven library welcomes Wôpanâak educator Brad Lopes for a workshop on best practices for approaching indigenous content, working with native communities, and building relationships with sovereign tribal nations.
For many native students and staff, school can be challenging. With roots in settler colonialism,
schools today often fail to reflect the traditional pedagogies and methodologies native people
have employed for millennia. Participants will learn about and discuss multiple pedagogies and methodologies grounded in indigenous practices and traditions. Exploring epistemologies thousands of years old, this workshop aims to prepare participants to best support Wampanoag and other native students, staff, and community members.
Brad Lopes is an Aquinnah Wampanoag citizen and lifelong educator currently working in
the traditional homelands of his people. He serves as the education manager for the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal education department and as the education and public programs manager for the Aquinnah Cultural Center, an Aquinnah Wampanoag museum located on Nôepe (Martha’s Vineyard).
This workshop is designed for educators, but noneducators are also welcome to attend. Free and open to the public. No registration required. Tuesday, April 14, 6 pm, at the Tisbury EMS Facility, located at 215 Spring St. in Vineyard Haven. Attendees may park in the rear of the building and enter through the back entrance. For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org.