It is hard for me to imagine where I would be today if I didn’t embrace diversity. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has always served me well. As a “mature” Native woman, in my community I am considered an Elder, which comes with some power, respect, and leadership responsibility. Professionally, I work in an environment where almost everyone is younger than me and, personally, I have children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren who are also much younger than me – and they all have a lot to say.

I’m not sure if you’ve had this experience, but, in my world, it seems the younger the person, the bigger their voice, which, in my culture, is a bit shocking for me sometimes – and I’m tempted to stifle them and remind them they need to listen more and talk less. But what I do instead is stifle myself, take a breath, and listen, and oftentimes what I hear surprises me in the best possible way. When I reflect on the 13 years I’ve been leading the College Fund, I can clearly see how the contributions of people of all ages, cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds have contributed to making us the strong, self-directed, innovative organization we’ve become. This has, in turn, created opportunities to help more students graduate and have meaningful careers, created stronger student support systems resulting in higher graduation rates, and supported tribal colleges and universities in growing and expanding their ability to meet students’ and their communities’ needs.

Innovation and growth feed on diverse thoughts and experiences. Even when diversity seemingly leads to disagreements and tension, the resolution of that tension builds strength and unity. As many corporations are pulling back on their commitment to diversity, I am so saddened by the thought of losing the progress we’ve made in the past few years in acknowledging how one’s experiences in the world, both good and bad, are shaped by how you look, the language you speak, your cultural beliefs and practices, and, particularly, your spending power.

I’ve been hopeful and encouraged by the forward movement in support of marginalized people in recent years, especially by the increased inclusion of often-overlooked Native talent and expertise through focused mentorship, internship, and scholarship programs. But I am now equally discouraged by the backwards movement in the past several months. I see the abundance of energy devoted to extinguishing the hopes of all marginalized people that the world will ever be a safe, welcoming place for them – and it scares me for my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all my friends and relatives.

At a time when it would be so easy to sit in that scary space, it is more important than ever that we keep moving forward in a positive, strong way and never give up on our goal of creating safe, inviting spaces for all people, and to remind us all why that is so important.

I would love to hear from you about a time when you embraced a different perspective and how it helped you grow and learn – please email me at prezcrazybull@ collegefund.org. Our stories are wonderful reminders of how diversity makes us stronger and better – and always, always has value. We will celebrate and remember this as we continue pushing for our place in this world.

Yours in strength and unity,