Agenda Packet 9-12-18 Work Session

Home Browse Search

43 K-12 Education • Schools not friendly—headdresses were worn at Thanksgiving. At churches people dress up like pilgrims and Indians. • In schools, kids are jumped; school officials say they are wrong, are overreacting. • Difficulty being the new kid of color at school. • Kids are embarrassed for who they are. Higher Education • May be only dark face in class. • Lane has no more people of color than 17 years ago. • At UO, was asked to be designated speaker for entire tribe or all NAs. • Dating is weird—guys look for NA women as a trophy. • International students from Asian countries are taken advantage of and don’t know they have rights; young Asian women are often a target and ashamed or afraid to report it, especially to superiors. • I am so done with the university. • Predators are moved, not fired. • NA students have been written up when they complain. • POC are very marginalized at UO. Faculty and staff have been tossed around. What happens to students? Social Services Hostile Political Environment • Lots of people, hippies, Rainbow Gathering raising funds for Standing Rock but, when there, they are stealing culture—calling gatherings powwows when they are not powwows, burning sage, all inappropriately. • Whites and other POC don’t know about current NA issues except big ones like Standing Rock. • Because of social media, people are at least aware of Standing Rock. Refreshing that people are listening. • Standing Rock is not a festival or celebration; some people don’t believe the bad treatment happening to NAs there. • Hippies and Rainbow Gathering people have been condescending at Standing Rock. Micro-aggressions • Cultural appropriation is all over. • People act as if you are on display. • People want to know everything about you, ask personal questions. • ”You don’t look native. You look white.” • “Oh, so you get your college for free, huh?” Demonized because they think you get a lot of things. • People eating bacon, shaming me for eating seal. • North Eugene not friendly: son’s name is a “nigger’s name”; husband is dark. • Children have long hair and are mistaken for girls. • At work, I am the “designated office Indian.” Isn’t this racist? • Racism is not recognized; people get mad if you point it out, like Lane County “brown” bag lunches. Isolation and Need for Safe Space • Feel alone when you first come to Eugene. • Culture shock, hard transition. • People adopt others. • Where are the natives? Come to the longhouse at UO and LCC. • Making connections by coming to longhouse. • Whites don’t understand native humor. • Cultural differences are not understood, e.g., NAs eat meat. • Don’t have to tone down or worry about offending someone in safe space like longhouse. • You don’t want to talk about where you come from, who you are; you do not have to worry about that coming here (to longhouse). • Some of the tribes (Siletz) have programs open to all Native Americans/Alaska Natives. September 12, 2018, Work Session - Item 1