Learning in Community: Indigenous People's Day

A group of PC students, teachers and parents co-created an opportunity for families to learn and engage on Indigenous People's Day on Oct. 14.

"We have made it a priority at Penn Charter to better understand our past and present relationship with the local indigenous community," said Alyson Goodner OPC ’96, director of the Center for Public Purpose. “Over the past three years we have cultivated new partnerships with the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania that have supported a review of our curriculum connected to indigenous studies.”

One new development from this work has been the recognition of Indigenous People’s Day on Penn Charter’s calendar, and for the past three years faculty, students and families have gathered together on this day.

PC's three Upper School certificate programs – Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability; Global Cultures & Language; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice – all connect to indigenous studies. 

Penelope Gray, a Global certificate student, opened the day for PC families. She presented a history of Indigenous People’s Day and why we recognize it. Making connections to the Quaker concept of continuous revelation, she explained the need to create and support opportunities for indigenous communities to share their experience – through this partnership our own understanding of history can evolve. Penelope shared how some cities and states – like our own Philadelphia – have recently made this day a priority, and she outlined additional steps we can take to nationally recognize the day, like many other countries in the world.  

"As William Penn Charter School, whose campus is built around a descendant of the original Shackamaxon Treaty Elm – the tree under which William Penn and Chief Tamanend signed the Shackamaxon Treaty (also known as Penn’s treaty) – it's important that we continue to develop our relationships with the Lenape community to increase our understanding of our land’s history and current issues that impact our indigenous neighbors," Goodner said. "Each year our teachers and students develop new connections, embrace new opportunities to learn, and find ways to partner and celebrate the ongoing contributions and influence of our indigenous community members."

Zahir Kalam Id-Din, a DEIB certificate student, and Ben Zabierek, a 12th grader on the boys lacrosse team, co-facilitated a session on the indigenous history of lacrosse followed by a lacrosse skills session hosted by the boys lacrosse team. Zahir named why it was important to lift up and acknowledge the historic and current role of indigenous communities in so many aspects of our learning community, including athletics.

Upper School certificate students also led seed saving and corn-husk doll activities. The seed saving centered on plants from our Lenape pollinator garden on the Strawbridge campus, which was created in the spring of 2022 by third grade students in partnership with members of the Lenape community and local pollinator garden experts. They also shared information on our kindergarten gardens, which have harvested Lenape Kingsessing beans for the past two years and have developed ways to share these seeds locally.  

Each year, the planning team for Indigenous People’s Day closes the gathering at PC by 11:00 a.m. so that attendees can enjoy afternoon events led by members of Lenape tribes across Philadelphia.