Defining Reclaimation

In recognition of Native Awareness Month, Cal State East Bay’s Diversity and Inclusion Student Center will host photographer Matika Wilbur and author Tommy Orange.

Wilbur, a visual storyteller and member of the Swinomish and Tulalip tribes of coastal Washington, has spent the past five years traveling to and photographing tribes around the U.S. She has visited more than 300 sovereign nations throughout 40 states, including the Tlingits in Alaska, the Pima in Arizona, the Pomos in California and the Wampanoags on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 

On Nov. 7 at 12:15 p.m. in the University Union Multipurpose Room, Wilbur will lead a community discussion building off her latest work, Project 562.

Orange, author of the "New York Times" Best Seller “There There," will be on the Hayward campus on Nov. 21 at 12:15 p.m. in the University Union Multipurpose Room to discuss his writing process and various themes of Native culture and history found throughout his work.

“There There” is a multi-generational story about the lives of Native Americans living in urban areas. One of The "New York Times'" top books of 2018, it tells a story of violence and recovery as well as hope, loss, dislocation, and the history of a nation. 

Tommy Orange is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and was born and raised in Oakland, California. He now lives in Angels Camp with his wife and son.