Robert A. Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series

Friday, September 30th at 4:00 p.m., Harned Hall 110

Denny Hurtado, Indian education program supervisor for the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), has been selected to launch the sixth season of the Saint Martin's University Robert A. Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series. In the inaugural lecture of the 2011-12 series, guest speaker Hurtado will discuss new tools for teaching about the tribes indigenous to Washington state. The lecture, “Since Time Immemorial: 21st-Century Teaching Tools for Ancient Truths,” begins at 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30, in Harned Hall, room 110, on the Saint Martin’s University campus, 5000 Abbey Way, Lacey, Washington, 98503. The free event is open to the public.

Hurtado, an enrolled member of the Skokomish Indian Tribe, holds a master’s degree in school administration from the California State University in Humboldt. The published author and curriculum developer also serves on the Skokomish Tribal Council and is co-chair of the Native Nations Institute International Advisory Council at the University of Arizona.

The focus of Hurtado’s presentation will be “Since Time Immemorial,” a web-based curriculum initiative created through a partnership of private and public agencies, and endorsed by all 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington. The site houses resources, materials, lessons and entire units to support the teaching of tribal sovereignty, tribal history and current tribal issues. This tool works within the context of OSPI-recommended units for all students of Washington and U.S. history in the elementary and middle school levels, and all students of U.S. history and contemporary world issues in the high school level. The “Since Time Immemorial” curriculum menu aims to include perspectives that have been missing from state history education.