At the New Jersey Center for Indigenous Justice (NJCIJ) and the Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) Program at Montclair State University, we walk in partnership with New Jersey's three state-recognized Tribes to re-Indigenize New Jersey while transforming how our students learn and see their place in community. Our work lives at a powerful intersection: confronting the erasure of Indigenous peoples while offering Montclair students a unique opportunity to join in justice-driven, community-engaged education where classroom learning meets real-world purpose.
Students in our courses, Summer Field School, and capstone experiences work hand-in-hand with Indigenous knowledge keepers on projects that matter: environmental justice, language revitalization, cultural heritage preservation, and food sovereignty. Our NAIS graduates leave Montclair with more than a diploma. They leave with relationships, field-tested skills, and a sense of purpose and community that stays with them as they enter the next chapter of their lives. Your gift fuels this dual mission directly:
- NAIS Summer Field School — a 4-week immersive program where students earn credit while contributing to Tribal-led projects at the Munsee Three Sisters Farm, the Ramapough Mountain Cemetery, and beyond, gaining hands-on experience in community-engaged research
- Indigenous Student Mentorship and Recruitment — building the infrastructure to welcome, support, and retain Native students at Montclair, including outreach to Tribal communities and sustained mentoring through the NJCIJ Director
- Vivian Milligan Digital Collection — student-led work preserving thousands of documents from the Ramapough Tribe's fight for environmental justice at the Ringwood Superfund Site
- Language Revitalization — student-designed learning materials, signage, and audio resources supporting the reawakening of Munsee, Unami, and Nanticoke in partnership with Tribal language keepers
- NAIS Courses, Events, and an Annual Symposium — bringing Indigenous scholars, artists, and knowledge keepers to campus, uplifting indigenous voices and enriching the intellectual life of the entire University.
