In the past, Oregon’s indigenous students couldn’t wear eagle feathers on their graduation caps, mukluks on their feet, or traditional stoles over their graduation gowns without the fear that they would be stopped or have these items confiscated by school administrators. Now, a new law signed by Gov. Kate Brown ensures that Native American students in Oregon can wear culturally significant items at public school events, including graduation ceremonies.
We hear from Leya Descombes, a senior at NAYA Many Nations Academy and Leilani Sabzalian, assistant professor of Indigenous Studies in Education and co-director of the Sapsik’wałá Education Program at the University of Oregon. Both testified in favor of the bill.