Dear Evergreen community, 

Today is both Indigenous Peoples’ Day and National Coming Out Day.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the first inhabitants of our country, celebrates the contributions of Indigenous Peoples, who have been on these lands and waters since time immemorial, and whose intellectual, artistic and continuous governance strengthen our society. We also mark the fact that today’s celebration is the first such recognized by a U.S. president. At Evergreen, the day is an opportunity to connect with the Native peoples and Tribes that are part of our community, which is built on the ceded lands of the Squaxin Island Tribe and Puyallup Tribe.  

National Coming Out Day marks the anniversary of the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. National Coming Out Day honors LGBTQIA+ identities and acknowledges that homophobia thrives in silence. We celebrate and welcome those who share their identities.  

This Wednesday, October 13, at 6:00p.m., we will mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day and National Coming Out Day with a special guest, Paulette Jordan, who is Coeur d'Alene, is an inspiring, barrier-breaking leader in tribal and electoral politics in Idaho. This event is open to the public and will be hosted remotely via Zoom. Evergreen employees will also receive an Outlook calendar invitation for the event. We hope you can join us on Wednesday and also think of today in great honor of our Native peoples and LGBTQIA+ community members. 

Sincerely, 


Dr. John Carmichael, Interim President  

Dr. Dexter Gordon, Executive Vice President