Year: 2008 Blogs

To honor the father of Rick Williams

February 29 is leap year. I’d like to recognize the signifiant leaps forward that the Indian community has made on its behalf in the past 40 years upon the founding of the first tribal college, which for the first time put American Indians in charge of their own education.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered a public apology to the Aboriginal people of that nation last week. He told the Parliament there, “The Parliament is today here assembled to deal with this unfinished business of the nation, to remove a great stain from the nation’s soul, and in a true spirit of reconciliation to open a new chapter in the history of this great land, Australia.”

It may seem like the tried and true thing to write about as we approach Valentine’s Day, but the advice is as true today as it is any other time of the year: when it comes to the future, we must follow our hearts.

The New York Giants’ win in Sunday’s Super Bowl was a lesson to people in any vocation of what it means to persevere. Obstacles may seen insurmountable to us as we journey through our day-to-day lives. And for some of our students who face issues every day, these obstacles may seem bigger than those that non-American Indians face.

It was 27 below zero degrees Fahrenheit in Barrow, Alaska, and there were five hours of sun yesterday. But don’t let the winter weather fool you into thinking that nothing much is going on in Barrow!

Today marks the national observation of Martin Luther King Day. The American Indian College Fund is closed to observe the life of this great leader, but I wanted to write to commemorate not just the life of King, but the life of all great leaders, including our American Indian leaders, who have worked hard to ensure that all Americans have the right to share in the American dream.

In today’s world an education is necessary more than ever. The economy is global, competition for jobs comes from outside our country’s borders, and nothing is certain. The same is true in Indian country.

If you resolved to make a difference in the world around you, to help others to achieve their education goals and succeed, then the American Indian College Fund is an organization suited to your giving style.