SPRINGFIELD (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Members of the Native American community want to be able to express their culture — not hide it. That was one of the messages sent at what was described as a first-of-its-kind summit with state lawmakers at the capitol on Wednesday.
The most prominent topic at the news conference — which featured a traditional chant — was the story of Nimkii Curley, whom Evanston Township High School kept off the graduation stage because he added an eagle feather and necklace to his cap and gown.
“My father-in-law passed in July, right after Nimkii’s graduation,” said Curley’s mother. “He survived boarding schools, and he would’ve been able to see his grandson graduate. We had never anticipated that a high school wouldn’t allow that. That would be one of the experiences of his last month of life.”
As State Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) put it: “I’m able to wear my Christian cross. Why [isn’t Curley] able to wear your feather?”
“This is what makes our country great,” West said. “Ensuring that the history of our state, the history of our country, is in our schools, should not be an option — it should be a mandate.”
Other subjects of interest to those at the summit included the use of Native American mascots, increased support for Native Americans in urban areas, renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, as well as Native American adoptions within the Indian Child Welfare Act, which is currently in front of the Supreme Court in Haaland v. Brackeen.
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