We are voting for an education on our terms

Boozhoo John,

September is an exciting and restless time of the year for kids – it means new clothes, new bookbags, and new friends. Most every student group in the U.S. has advanced their education and made progress towards graduation from the public school system.

But in the last decade, the advancement made by Native students has flatlined. Native students have the lowest graduation rate of any group in the U.S. – less than 65 percent complete high school.

As we do our work in the field and listen to what voters like you [[link removed]] care about, many of you tell us that education is a top issue for you. That is why we do this work – so voters like you can use your voice for what matters to you.

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–– Before I continue, I want to warn you that what I’m about to say about Indian boarding schools may be triggering for some of you, so if you’re concerned please jump to the section titled “A brighter future: education on our terms.” ––

Indian boarding schools and their lasting impacts
There is a reason for the staggeringly low graduation numbers. In the 19th century, the U.S. government instituted the federally funded Indian Boarding Schools with over 300 schools in existence at the time.

Their primary purpose was to strip Native children of their culture, language, their given tribal names and identity, and instill predominant cultural values into them.

Many of us know family members who lived through this traumatic experience, one of which was my auntie, Honey Sweet Warren.

She tells of a school that operated solely on the labor of children and whose assimilation philosophy was “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.”

My mother attended Flandreau Indian Boarding School, operated by the Presbyterian Church, and remembers being forced to have her hair cut short.

As a cultural grieving practice, we cut our hair when we are in mourning. Scared, my mother remembers some of the children wailing, some terrified, but too afraid to ask about their loved ones back home.

This dark history lives with us and has caused trauma that continues through generations.

A brighter future: education on our terms
Gratefully, tribal school systems – including tribal colleges and universities – are now providing quality education that is locally and culturally based for tribal children. The Navajo Nation was the first to make this shift when they founded Dinė College in 1968.

There are now hundreds of tribally run elementary and secondary schools, and 32 fully accredited Tribal Colleges & Universities. Among those is the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Ojibwe Community College [[link removed]], located on the LCO Ojibwe reservation near Hayward, which received its accreditation to become a university this month!

Additionally, LCO has a total immersion school called Waadookodaading” (Ojibwe for “the place where we help each other”– pronounced WAH-dew-kah-DAW-ding) where courses about their history, culture, and contemporary issues are taught completely in the Ojibwe language.

This education with a tribal emphasis has a positive effect on a student’s self-esteem, identity development, and confidence-building skills. I can’t understate the joy I feel when seeing a graduating LCO high school student deliver her valedictorian address proudly and fluently in her Native language.

We have come so far since the challenging times my mother talks about.

Continuing the work
We can continue to support our kids and ensure they receive an education they deserve by voting. When we show up to the polls, we are making decisions that impact our future – decisions that impact our children.

So, make a plan to vote on or before November 8. Find the voting information you need here [[link removed]] or reach out to me or any of our Native Vote organizers [[link removed]].

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Miigwech (thank you) for voting for our children,
Dee Sweet
Native Vote Manager
Wisconsin Conservation Voices

P.S. We are regularly posting educational content on our Native Vote Facebook page [[link removed]] and Twitter account [[link removed]]. Please take a minute to follow us and share our content.

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