A&E

To explore the diverse identities that make up Northwestern’s community, the One Book One Northwestern program asked students and staff variations of what “home” meant to them.

The responses of 33 NU students, faculty and staff are featured in “People of Northwestern,” a photo exhibit that launched Monday. Their portraits, accompanied by statements about their identities, are on display in the Norris Galleria until April 17.

One Book undertook Humans of NU, a student-run project based on the popular blog “Humans of New York” for the exhibit, said Irina Huang, a Communication sophomore and One Book fellow.

Huang said the project explores themes from this year’s One Book selection, “The Inconvenient Indian” by Thomas King. The book explores the troubling relationship between whites and Native Americans throughout United States history.

“A lot of times we see Native Americans and think of them as one homogeneous group … but there is diversity within that, with different tribes, languages and cultures,” Huang said.

Weinberg sophomore Gabriella Cramer, also a One Book fellow, said the original goal of the project was to explore Native American culture on campus, but it was expanded to explore a variety of identities.

The program hosted a photography event in March, which students and staff were encouraged to attend, One Book senior program coordinator Nancy Cunniff said. Participants were then photographed and responded to prepared questions, she said.

Cramer said she was surprised by the variation in everyone’s definitions of home and identity.

“You assume people have similar backgrounds,” Cramer said. “You really just do not know until you talk to them. I just found it interesting seeing how people identify with home — I would never know that by looking at them.”

Cunniff explained the word home can mean something different to different people, depending on their own personal circumstances. She said it is a theme that runs through “The Inconvenient Indian” because of the forcible removal of American Indians from their original homes.

In addition to the exhibit, One Book has partnered with the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance to create more than 70 programs this year, including “People of Northwestern,” Cunniff said.

“All this programming is bringing awareness to the school about Native American history and what’s happening today,” Cramer said. “We’re bringing awareness to the school, and I’m hoping the conversation continues past this year.”

Cramer said she hopes people take the time to reflect on their own identities as they pass through the Galleria.

“I don’t think (people) had ever sat down and thought about their identity,” Cramer said. “I hope that’s what they do when they look at this display and to see how varied Northwestern is.”

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