Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force

Greetings from the Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force. Please join the Equity and Anti-Racism conversation at Hyde-Addison by emailing hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov and requesting to be added to the Task Force email list maintained by the school, joining us on Konstella, utilizing the resources here, and/or participating in the monthly Task Force virtual meeting at 4pm on the last Friday of every month during the school year. As parents, teachers and staff, we are interested in doing our part to promote equity and end racism in constructive, supportive ways.

Earlier this month we celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct. 9), and during the entire month of November we will celebrate Native American Heritage Month (a.k.a. National American Indian Heritage Month). Since the arrival of European colonizers in the Americas centuries ago, Native Americans have fought for equal rights, dignity and respect. And at least since the early 1900s, Native Americans fought for government proclamation of a day, week or month to recognize the significant contributions of American Indians to the heritage and culture of the United States. In 1976, Jerry C. Elliott High Eagle, a Cherokee/Osage Indian and NASA physicist (see more below), authored Native American Awareness Week legislation, which was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Gerald R. Ford—the first week of observance for Native Americans in U.S. history. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush became the first president to designate November “National American Indian Heritage Month,” with similar proclamations issued each year since 1994.

Native American Heritage Month is celebrated with events throughout the Smithsonian Institution’s network of museums, with several events at the National Museum of the American Indian. The website nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov is a great federal government interagency resource, with a page dedicated to resources for teachers (though as of this writing, the calendar had not yet been updated for 2023).

My name is Noelle, and I am a descendant of the Piscataway Canoe. For some history, my tribe resided in what is now known as DC. The Canoe also resided in Maryland. My tribe is unique, for example when you are 15 you get something called a totem which means you get an animal based on your personality. For instance, my father is represented as a wolf because he is very protective, and he cares about his friends and family a lot.

I feel very proud and happy that I can share all the cool things my tribe has with my classmates. I am also very proud because I know that some schools do not have Native American kids who share about their culture. Fun-Fact: Many people think that Native Americans are “Extinct” but that is because of two main reasons. One being that there are not that many of us today, but we are still here! Second is because we do not wear tribal clothing all the time. I am also happy that there is a day that recognizes the great contributions of Native Americans to our country and region.

I am glad that my school gives me the opportunity to teach my friends about the Piscataway Canoe. I hope in the future there will be more Native American kids who go to awesome schools like mine. I also encourage students with other backgrounds to share what is unique about them.

As Noelle explained, Native Americans are not extinct! They’re still here—at Hyde-Addison, in the DMV, and across the U.S. According to the 2020 Census, there are now 9.7 million people who are American Indian and Alaska Native either alone or in combination with another race, but census data for Native Americans is ... complicated. The 2020 Census figure of 9.7 million marks a significant increase from the 5.2 million Native Americans counted in the 2010 Census. And the 2020 Census count is higher than tribal enrollment numbers, because the census allows people to self-identify and Native American tribes typically have stricter criteria for tribal enrollment. But the 2020 Census undercounted Native Americans living on reservations by an estimated 5.64%—the highest undercount of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S. This undercount is highly problematic, producing racial inequity in the distribution of billions of dollars of federal funds for a wide range of public services (e.g., public housing, Medicare, highway construction, etc.). The Census Bureau must invest the necessary resources to get a complete and accurate count of Native Americans in 2030.

Martha Redbone, a vocalist/songwriter/composer/educator who identifies as having Choctaw, Eastern Cherokee, and African-American ancestry, is slated to perform for Hyde-Addison students on November 2. She has won awards for her contemporary music, mixing R&B, soul and elements of Native American music. Redbone won the award for Debut Artist for her album Home of the Brave at the 2002 Native American Music Awards and hasn’t slowed down since. Redbone was born in New York City, but spent much of her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky, with her maternal grandmother (Eastern Cherokee and Shawnee ancestry) and her maternal grandfather (Black and Choctaw ancestry). Our Hyde-Addison family is excited to host her performance during Native American Heritage Month!

Jerry C. Elliott High Eagle was born in Oklahoma City in 1943, of Osage and Cherokee heritage. Elliott was the first Native American to receive a physics degree from the University of Oklahoma, and among the first Native Americans hired by NASA, where he began working as an engineer in 1966 and remained for four decades, including many years working at the NASA Headquarters in DC. Elliott held leadership roles in the Apollo program, serving on the mission control team during Apollo 11’s successful moon landing and playing an instrumental role in saving the lives of three astronauts in the Apollo 13 disaster, for which he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. When he wasn’t engineering space flights, he was pushing legislation through Congress, including legislation that created the First Americans Commission for Telecommunications, which improved telecommunications infrastructure between reservations, and legislation creating Native American Awareness Week in 1976—a precursor to Native American Heritage Month.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by reading some books with your little ones. Hyde-Addison teachers have compiled this list of children’s books by and about Native Americans.

Did your student celebrate any holidays or traditions related to their race or ethnicity recently? Please share any photos or videos related to your celebrations via email: hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov.

Native American Heritage Month (November)

Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead (November 1-2)

Veterans’ Day (November 11)

Diwali (November 12, 2023)

Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-19, 2023)

International Day for Tolerance (November 16)

Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20)

World Children’s Day (November 20)

Thanksgiving (November 23, 2023)

Native American Heritage Day (November 24, 2023)

Rosa Parks Day (December 1)

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3)

International Human Rights Day (December 10)

Hanukkah (December 7-15, 2023)

Winter Solstice (December 21)

Christmas (December 25)

Kwanzaa (December 26-January 1)

Watch Night (December 31)

Disclaimer: The Hyde-Addison ES Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force is an independent group not associated with DCPS and any viewpoints or activities associated with this group are not endorsed by DCPS.