Ernest House Jr., Ute Mountain Tribe member and a director at the Keystone Policy Center, will be featured at a virtual event presented by Colorado Mountain College on Jan. 17 to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Photo courtesy of Keystone Policy Center.
CMC to host community forum on the history of Colorado’s indigenous nations
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Ute Mountain Tribe member and recognized policy maker Ernest House Jr. will offer perspectives.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to honor the achievements of King and his nonviolent resistance to racial inequality. To commemorate the day, Colorado Mountain College will host a community conversation to enhance understandings of indigenous tribal histories predating the formation of CMC. The virtual event, “Beyond Acknowledgements: Understanding CMC’s land heritage and seeding the future,” is free and open to the public.
Keynote speaker will be Ernest House Jr., senior policy director of the Keystone Policy Center and former executive director for of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs. House will be joined during the key presentation and discussion by facilitator Patrick Staib, CMC Steamboat Springs social science professor. Additional CMC presenters, including President Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, will participate as well.
House is a confirmed member of the Ute Mountain Tribe in Towaoc, Colorado, and the son of the late Ernest House Sr., a longtime tribal leader of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the great grandson of the last hereditary chief of the tribe, Chief Jack House. Throughout his career, House has worked to maintain government-to-government relationships between the state of Colorado and tribal governments and organizations. Currently, at the Keystone Policy Center, House is working with various stakeholders in the areas of tribal consultation, energy, healthcare, and education.
This virtual presentation will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 17. See schedule for specifics, including pre-event readings and videos and access to the Zoom event. In addition to a live Zoom presentation, the event will also be recorded. Contact Heather Weems at hweems@coloradomtn.edu, 970-947-8365 for questions regarding accessing Zoom, and visit our page for information about the college.
Beyond Acknowledgements
An event commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, Jan. 17, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Pre-event video and readings; additional Resources:
Zoom (recording available): https://colomtn.me/MLK2022
11 a.m. Welcome: Achieving historical perspectives on indigenous homelands; Formulating the future of land management education at CMC (Carrie Besnette Hauser, CMC president)
Overview of MLK Week (Richard Gonzales, CMC general counsel and senior inclusivity officer)
Introduction of Ernest House, Jr. and Patrick Staib (Matt Gianneschi, CMC chief operating officer and chief of staff)
11:10 a.m. Keynote presentation and discussion (Ernest House and Patrick Staib)
12:05 p.m. Questions from audience via chat (Matt Gianneschi)
12:25 p.m. Closing Remarks (Carrie Besnette Hauser)
Pre-event videos
“The Utes: Colorado’s Forgotten People”
colomtn.me/3HEbXEK“Land Acknowledgements are not Enough”
colomtn.me/3zCotBT"We Need to Reframe: Why we Do Land Acknowledgements"
colomtn.me/3qUvlqw