Abel R. Gomez writes “Indigenous Peoples Day comes amid a reckoning over colonialism and calls for return of Native land.”

Abel R. Gomez, a PhD candidate of communities and identities religion in the College of Arts of Sciences, wrote a commentary for The Conversation titled “Indigenous Peoples Day comes amid a reckoning over colonialism and calls for return of Native land.” Gomez’s PhD research focuses on the significance of place, memory and identity for Indigenous and Latinx religious traditions. In the piece he highlights how land is at the center of Indigenous life and the importance of recognizing this everyday and not only on Indigenous Peoples Day. “It is not just where people live, but a site of complex relationships among humans, waters, plants, animals and spiritual being,” says Gomez.