Native American Heritage Month, also referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, has its roots in the early 20th century. In 1915, the annual congress of the American Indian Association directed its president to ask the U.S. to observe American Indian Day. The U.S. government didn't act until 1983, when President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 13 American Indian Day, and in 1990 President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month.
Read Stories That Heal: Commemorating Native American Heritage Month through Theater and Tradition, by Vice President Yvette Alex-Assensoh.