All students of the Kumeyaay Nation will have access to priority scheduling and waived fees of all Southwestern College facilities.
This comes after the Southwestern College Governing board of education passed a resolution on Dec.14 that acknowledges the Kumeyaay Nation’s nearly 500 years of resilience and resistance in the face of violent actions taken by colonizers in efforts to separate the members of the Kumeyaay Nation from their land, culture and one another. Since the start of this year, the Governing Board verbally acknowledges their occupation of land to honor the Kumeyaay Nation.
“The possibilities are endless on the cultural exchanges that will take place at Southwestern College moving forward,” said Dr. Mark Sanchez, Superintendent/President of Southwestern College.
The Kumeyaay nation includes 13 federally recognized tribes within San Diego County, including the: Barona, Campo, Capitan Grande, Cuyapaipe, Inaja, Jamul Indian Village of California, La Posta, Manzanita, Mesa Grande, San Pasqual, Santa Ysabel, Viejas and Sycuan tribes, each of which manages their own sovereign tribal governments and lands. All Southwestern College campuses are on Kumeyaay land.
“It was important for our college to move from words to action. This land belongs to the Kumeyaay Nation and we are grateful to share all the opportunities Southwestern College offers,” said Leticia Cazares, Governing Board President of Southwestern College.
Members of the Kumeyaay nation have made strides in many fields, including in agriculture, astronomy, medicine, music, language, and art. To this day, the Kumeyaay continue to be an active, thriving people who contribute to the health and benefit of the San Diego region.
“This is a great day for the Kumeyaay Tribal nations. We applaud the Board for waiving facility rental fees for the Kumeyaay Tribal Nations and creating space for our people,” said Erica M. Pinto, Chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village Tribal Council. “More importantly, we appreciate our partnership and the Board recognizing our tribal history in the San Diego area. It is actions like these that bring us together and give us hope for the future."
