Recently, I’ve been reflecting on how important it is to be able to identify myself using terms that are personal to me; and the impact that has for all of us in the way we feel self-confidence and pride in our individuality. Perhaps you define yourself by the job you do or the language you speak. Or maybe you identify yourself by your skin color, sexual orientation, or what part of the world you grew up in.
The American Indian College Fund is saddened to share that Dr. Nathaniel “Nate” St. Pierre, College Fund Trustee and President of Stone Child College, passed away on Sunday, August 13, 2017. We extend our condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and students. Nate served the College Fund Board from July 1, 2016 to present. His leadership and dedication to the mission of the College Fund and the important role the tribal colleges filled in their communities will be missed.
Greetings to our friends and supporters. This week I shared a video message on social media for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla in the wake of their visit to the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. In his Facebook post it was clear that the social and economic issues they saw made a powerful impression on them.
Are tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) the result of de facto segregation? Currently in higher education there is considerable discussion about the value and challenges faced by our Nation’s historically black college and universities (HBCUs). While this debate rightly belongs squarely in all discussions about access and affordability and value of higher education, it neglects the experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native students and the colleges and universities that have emerged to serve them in a similar fashion.
We at the American Indian College Fund stand with people concerned about the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in a peaceful way, based on our Native values of caring for the environment and each other. Our values are as relevant today as they were generations ago, based on the importance of the physical health of our citizens and the economic health of our nation. These are the values we incorporate in the education of our tribal college students.
Right after the presidential election, I sent a message to our students urging them to practice self-care in the face of expected increases in racial, gender, and religious discrimination fueled by the divisions the election exacerbated – divisions that were both obvious in the rhetoric and actions of the candidates and in the electorate and which are also hidden in the language of nationalism. My message spoke to the choices that we each have in how we will respond and the awareness that we must have when we choose to be silent or speak out.
The American Indian College Fund’s mission is transforming higher education by providing American Indians with funding for access to a higher education while also creating public awareness of this nation’s tribal higher education institutions and American Indians.
This weekend I drove with my family across the plains of Colorado into the sand hills of Nebraska then journeyed over vast prairies into the tree-filled hills, through weather that ranged from warm sun to pouring rain and slush, and blowing snow settling into the chilly night of a fall day. I felt very indigenous, native, naturally occurring in place.
Indigenous people are gathered along the Mni Soce, the churning waters known as the Missouri River, exercising their right as citizens to protect the waters that give life to all of us. This gathering, which began in April, has blossomed into a movement, drawing Native people from across the country to join in support and putting Native peoples and nations in the national spotlight. Hundreds of people from many tribal nations are gathered together in a large camp along with people from all races.
I was inspired to see Hilary Pennington’s article, “Rethinking scholarships as social justice” in the Ford Foundation’s Equals Change blog. Her article examines the approach in action through the implementation of the Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program, which spans 22 countries and a decade to support emerging leaders who face discrimination because of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, economic status, or physical ability. Her essay opens the door to discussing and examining further why scholarships are particularly important to indigenous people as tools of social justice and opportunity.
