Dear Community,
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Dwanna McKay, Associate Professor and Chair of Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies, on Tuesday, Nov.11. She was a proud citizen of The Muscogee Nation. Dr. McKay’s life and work centered Indigenous traditions and wisdom. She was a fierce social justice advocate for all marginalized peoples. With passion and care, she challenged us to actively work to change societal and institutional inequities. She was powerful, brilliant, and compassionate. Throughout her life, she was dedicated to the people and communities she loved, recognized through honors like being named Elder of the Year at the 10th Annual Garden of the Gods Rock Ledge Ranch Powwow in 2019.
As a beloved mentor, Dr. McKay encouraged and empowered generations of students. They found her courses meaningful and challenging, as together they explored critical race theory, settler-colonialism, social inequality, and Indigenous identity. She supported her students both in and outside the classroom, always ensuring they had the resources they needed to thrive, not just academic ones. She frequently made them meals, made certain they had access to computers and books, and most importantly, she made them feel seen and heard. Since coming to Colorado College in 2016, Dwanna immersed herself in campus life. She was essential in the creation of the Indigenous Studies minor, she prioritized Indigenous voices and wisdom at CC, and she encouraged the CC community to develop a deeper understanding of the significance of our land acknowledgement and the continued presence of Indigenous communities here. Everything she did—her teaching, research, and service—was rooted in activism, liberation, and transformation. She lived those values every day through her leadership in faculty governance, her mentorship of students, and her advocacy for Indigenous communities on campus and beyond.
Dr. McKay was a widely published and well-respected scholar and expert in her field, known for her conception of “legitimized racism.” She was selected as Chair of the Sociology of Indigenous Peoples and Native Nations Section, “the first Section in the 115 years of the American Sociological Association that provides an official space for scholarship on Indigenous sociology.” Her intellect and ability to navigate complexity went beyond her four degrees: a PhD, Sociology and Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Studies (University of Massachusetts-Amherst); an MS in Sociology (Oklahoma State University-Stillwater); an MBA in Management Science (East Tennessee State University); and a BA in Political Science (University of Central Oklahoma), as she recognized learning as being rooted in community and lived experience. She served her tribe in her appointment as Secretary of Education for The Muscogee Nation, she was a member of the Native American Advisory Committee for the Office of the Governor of Kansas and was the former vice-chair for the Mvskoke Women’s Leadership Institute. Dwanna was also a loyal ally and friend. She never hesitated to take time to be present with us and listen to our stories. She encouraged us to speak our own truths with integrity and moments of laughter, choosing to share herself with us unapologetically, for which we will forever be grateful.
Services will be held on Friday, Nov. 21, at Integrity Funeral Home Chapel, 410 E. Trudgeon St., Henryetta, OK 74437 (viewing from 9:00-11:00 am; service at 1:00 pm). An announcement about a Celebration of Life to be held at CC is forthcoming. Flowers can be sent to Integrity on November 20. Cards of condolence can be sent to:
