National Native American Heritage Month is a time to reflect on the history, contributions, and achievements of indigenous people. And this year’s celebration coincides with plans to launch a brand-new employee resource group (ERG) at Oracle in 2023—the Indigenous Oracle Network (ION).
ION will join several other ERGs that work tirelessly to express diverse perspectives and make sure everyone is included in building the future of technology with us. The group will work to empower Indigenous employees, represent their interests, actively recruit Indigenous talent, and share knowledge across Oracle’s global operations.
We caught up with some of the people helping launch ION, Lori Winfree, Sally Reed Olivieri, and Nicole McReeves to get their thoughts on what it means to an Indigenous person during National Native American Heritage Month.
How do you celebrate Native American Heritage Month and your own heritage?
Lori: Every Day is a good day to be Indigenous and I try to celebrate my culture with all I do! I am blessed enough to serve on the board of trustees for United National Indian Tribal Youth, an organization whose mission is to foster the spiritual, mental, physical, and social development of American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native youth, and to help build a strong, unified, and self-reliant Native America through greater youth involvement.
Nicole: Personally, Native American Heritage Month is celebrated throughout the entire year. As an Indigenous woman I do my best to speak up when misconceptions are made about my culture, and that can be especially difficult in the workplace.
Sally: Although November is known as Native American Heritage Month, I find it’s best to acknowledge and celebrate our Indigenous Peoples throughout the year. There are many opportunities for each of us to better educate ourselves and our community about the land we live on and the tribes that called it home. This month we are celebrating by attending one of the Ohlone Café’s cultural education dinners in Berkley: ‘Do you know who’s land you’re living on?’
Why is it important that Oracle support expressions of employee heritage?
Nicole: I think it’s important that companies, like Oracle, allow their employees to express and represent their heritage as this makes the workplace environment more comfortable, which I think ultimately leads to more collaboration. The Indigenous United group was a meaningful home for me at Cerner, and I’m happy to help build the new community here at Oracle.”
Lori: I’m thrilled that Oracle has created a space for all employees to bring their whole self to work. I feel that my sense of connectedness has grown exponentially after working with other Indigenous employees to create the ION.
Sally: Where I live in Northern California is Ohlone land. Children in the Bay Area learn about the Ohlone and their customs as part of public-school education, but it’s up to each of us to continue that education and celebrate that culture throughout the year.
Building on the great work led by the Indigenous United employee group at Oracle Cerner, ION is scheduled to launch early next year with a vital, five-part mission to:
Do you want to work for a company that values and champions Indigenous Peoples? Check out our latest open roles today and come build the future with us.
The editorial team is comprised of members of the Oracle Talent Advisory group, with a wide-range of employer branding responsibilities. They partner with employees across Oracle to capture stories that showcase our company, culture and career opportunities, and help candidates envision their #LifeAtOracle.
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