About Us

Director: Mitzi Uehara Carter, Ph.D. (Okinawan-American) Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies in School of International and Public Affairs. SIPA 307. Email: mcarter@fiu.edu.

Vice Chair: Diane Benitez. Ph.D. (Lakota-Ute) Department of Public Affairs in the School of International and Public Affairs. Email: dibenite@fiu.edu

Founding Director: Dennis Wiedman, Ph.D. Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies in School of International and Public Affairs. SIPA 327. Email: wiedmand@fiu.edu.

Communications Chair: Michaela Moura. Ph.D. Center for Women's and Gender Studies. Email: mmoura@fiu.edu

Mission

The mission of the Global Indigenous Forum is to bring global Indigenous issues, voices and awareness to the FIU campus and world community through activities and academic programs.

Vision

With the Indigenous leadership of the Global Indigenous Forum, the vision is for FIU to be known as a welcoming institution for Indigenous faculty, staff, students and Indigenous peoples from local, regional and worldwide communities.

Recognizing our common values for land, territory, cultural preservation, a good life, and all our relations, through engaged partnerships and collaborations our mutual efforts focus on the issues and perspectives of Indigenous peoples locally and worldwide.

Through GIF efforts FIU will be recognized globally as a place for Indigenous issues to be openly and fairly discussed through courses, dialogs, conferences, media, exhibits, research publications, and engaged action oriented activities.

Goals

  1. Stimulate Indigenous campus events, especially during the fall semester Native American Week.
  2. Encourage Indigenous students to attend, feel welcome, and succeed at FIU.
  3. Support a vibrant Indigenous Student organization - GIG - Global Indigenous Group.
  4. Stimulate an Indigenous Studies curriculum, academic programs, certificate, conferences, etc.
  5. Promote faculty and student research on Indigenous issues.
  6. Encourage the hiring and support of Indigenous Studies faculty
  7. Collaborate on these activities with international Indigenous groups and our local Miccosukee and Seminole.
  8. Foster support for Indigenous community development goals.

History

Our history is recorded in photographs, interviews and presentations since 2013. /about-us/history/