Dunkley Follows Heritage to PhD Program

Class of 2019 Temple Cross Country and Track and Field graduate, Ashton Pemapanick Dunkley has left her mark just about everywhere she has gone. Perhaps none more than Temple University. While Dunkley was a consistent letter winner in all three seasons of running, her legacy at Temple begins in the classroom.

Dunkley was Temple University's first, two-time Scholar Athlete of the Year. "I am incredibly proud of my academic accomplishments at Temple, those accomplishments were not just my own" said Dunkley, "foremost, they were the result of my family and my community's endless guidance and support." Dunkley also was a finalist for the Truman Scholarship and received honorable mentions twice from the Udall Foundation.

Dunkley was born to a Native American mother and a British-Jamaican father. Her heritage has guided her throughout her entire life. "My people are from the island of Jamaica and the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation" explained Dunkley, "I come from those Nanticoke and Lenni-Lenape peoples who remained on our ancestral lands in spite of a Euro-American settler-colonial project that aimed to eliminate our people and continues even today."

"Our Nation is located in what is currently known as New Jersey, though Lenapehoking, the Land of the Lenape, spans parts of so-called New York, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, as well. This includes Philadelphia and it's important to acknowledge that Temple University is on occupied Lenape territory," stated Dunkley.

Following her graduation in the Spring of 2019, Dunkley relocated to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities to pursue her doctorate within the American Studies Department. Dunkley is a part of the Universities Critical Indigenous Studies cohort.

Within the honors college at Temple, Dunkley was a History and Anthropology major with an Italian minor. Her career and academic goals have evolved since her enrollment at Temple, however, one thing has stayed constant. "My end goal has always been to earn an education that would allow me to advocate for my community and educate others about Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape histories and futures," said Dunkley.

Dunkley's heritage goes far beyond an academic passion, it is "who I am and who I have always been. I live it every single day. I carry my ancestors with me everywhere I go," expressed Dunkley. She embodies this fact in the actions she takes daily.

As an individual who is both Black and Indigenous, she does not consider this to be a balancing act. "I will say that I've met many people who have a difficult time understanding how I could exist as both Black and Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape," said Dunkley. "In the United States, Blackness has historically been placed in opposition to Indigeneity."

Dunkley is a proud advocate for Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation. Dunkley explained this in saying, "Ultimately, it's important for Black and Indigenous communities to recognize the intersections in our experiences and to uplift one another, together. Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and in Philadelphia, Walter Wallace Jr., I have seen Black and Indigenous peoples standing together in solidarity. These acts of solidarity are powerful and they show that Black and Indigenous people do not have to 'pick a side', that I do not have to choose between Black liberation or Indigenous sovereignty, rather, I can work to uplift both with the ultimate goal of dismantling white supremacy and settler colonialism in this country."

Temple University Athletics

Dunkley Follows Heritage to PhD Program

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