Cuia Blacksburg is an ongoing space for countercolonial dialogue and knowledge exchange at Virginia Tech that began in April 2024, when the Abya Yala Pluriversity initiative was inaugurated through a week of activities dedicated to supporting the circulation of Indigenous and Black peoples and knowledges within academia. The Cuia brings together students, faculty, researchers, Indigenous communities, and other participants through workshops, seminars, films, reading groups, discussions, and community-based activities that connect questions of science and technology with different ways of knowing and experiencing the world.
Cuia Blacksburg is developed through collaborations across Virginia Tech, including the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, Department of Computer Science, Ati: Wa Indigenous Community Center, Center for Humanities, and El Centro, alongside collaborations with other academic and community partners. Through these connections, the Cuia creates spaces for Indigenous and Black knowledge, critical approaches to science and technology, and exchanges across communities, disciplines, and territories, with the support of the Abya Yala Pluriversity.
