The Welcome Home Project began under the leadership of Vice President of Inclusion Dr. Heather Lobban-Viravong (retired) in 2021. It started with a relatively simple gesture—with Ursinus College providing lodging for citizens of the Delaware Tribe of Indians during a repatriation event—and quickly blossomed into a lasting partnership between Ursinus, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, and the Perkiomen Valley School District (PVSD).
Representatives from the college, nation, and school district solidified the partnership in 2022 with the signing of the Statement of Mutual Intentions. That document promised ongoing dialogue, collaboration, and representation on campus, in curricula, and in programming. It continues to provide guidance for Ursinus’s mission and serves as a visible marker of Lenape presence in their homeland of Lënapehòkink.
