UNA Unveils Mural in Honor of North Alabama’s First Peoples; Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. Welcomed for Campus Event

Sep. 12, 2024

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – In a special ceremony that took place Thursday, Sept. 12 in Collier Library on the University of North Alabama campus, citizens of the Cherokee Nation, including Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., along with those from the UNA community, were on hand to unveil a mural in honor of North Alabama’s First Peoples, including Cherokees.

“It has been an honor to welcome Chief Hoskin and the representatives from the Cherokee Nation to campus for this special event,” said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. “As we approach our third century of delivering high-quality education, it is critical that we remember our history that is part of what got UNA to this place and honor those in whose footsteps we have the opportunity to follow.”

As part of the visit to campus for the mural unveiling, Chief Hoskin also had an opportunity to meet with campus and community leaders, to tour local sites, and meet with representatives from the Alabama Trail of Tears Association.

“The southeast was the original homeland of the Cherokee people, along with many other tribal nations,” said Chief Hoskin. “We appreciate UNA welcoming us to their campus and recognizing Indigenous Peoples and our contributions then and today.”

Amber Fite-Morgan, UNA’s General Counsel, is also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation; having the Cherokee Nation delegation at UNA for an event honoring Alabama’s First People is very special.

“Being able to be at UNA and being able to bring the two worlds together is especially significant for me as a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation,” Fite-Morgan said. “It is so important that we continue to build on these relationships that make both stronger.”

Dr. Sean Jacobson, an Assistant Professor in Native American and Public History, worked with the students in order to create the mural, the title of which is “Tears and Triumphs: Honoring North Alabama’s First Peoples.”

“Collaborative projects like these provide students with invaluable learning experiences,” he said. “Students not only develop knowledge and creativity, but they also learn the importance of

partnering with stakeholder communities to make history come alive. Directing this project has been a privilege to use history to bring communities together to foster respect and cultural understanding.”

A number of areas of campus were tapped with participating in the mural unveiling, including the fourth-grade class at Kilby Laboratory School.

“We worked with the class to provide the land acknowledgement as part of the ceremony, which was such a special moment for the students,” said Minnette Ellis, Dean of Students and who worked closely with a small campus-based committee to bring the unveiling to fruition. “We are so fortunate to have had Chief Hoskin and the Cherokee Nation delegation on campus and sharing this moment with us.”

UNA and the Cherokee Nation have partnered in the past. In 2022, the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding that provided citizens and employees of the Cherokee Nation, which is based in Tahlequah, Okla., the opportunity a discounted tuition in order to enroll at UNA. UNA was the first among schools in Alabama to take this step, and it was a first for the Cherokee Nation to partner with an institution outside its region.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.