Recently in Native News

As part of our continued effort to inform readers of the news and culture of Native American communities across the country, Partnership With Native Americans has compiled our favorite stories from the month of October. Stay up to date and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for more headlines.

 First-year student, a Native American, promises herself to blaze trail for others via The Harvard Gazette

• “In the first week of her College life, Eva Ballew ’22, who grew up in a rural town of 3,000 in southern Wisconsin, promised herself always to stay grounded and to do everything she could to blaze a trail for others. Ballew was admitted to 10 colleges, including Dartmouth, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and Northwestern. To decide among them, the first-generation college student displayed a maturity and perspective beyond her years. ‘When I was accepted to Harvard, I felt it was the first step to the rest of my life,’ said Ballew, the daughter of a Native American man and a Hungarian-American woman. ‘I thought about all the doors that could open not just for me and for my family, but for the Potawatomi children.'”

How is ASU going against trends of Native American college enrollment?  via The State Press

• “Like many Native American students, Laura Gonzales-Macias was the first in her family to attend college. Born and raised in San Antonio, Gonzales-Macias has ancestral roots to the Tarahumara of northern Mexico. Her parents encouraged her to pursue higher education, so she got her bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. Guided by dreams of the desert, Gonzales-Macias continued her education at ASU, where she received a doctorate in educational psychology. Now the associate director for American Indian Student Support Services at ASU, Gonzales-Macias works with current Native American ASU students, many of who are also the first in their families to attend college.”

Three New Mexico trailblazers honored by Native American Hall of Fame via Santa Fe New Mexican

• “Over the course of her 87 years, Native American activist LaDonna Harris has campaigned to be vice president of the United States, helped return federal land to Taos Pueblo and served on commissions appointed by five presidents. But her proudest accomplishment, her daughter Laura Harris said, has been mentoring Native Americans early in their careers. ‘She believes in replacing herself,’ Laura Harris said. ‘That’s one of her core indigenous values, is to find and nurture the upcoming leaders to take her place.’ The elder Harris, an Albuquerque resident and a member of the Comanche tribe, was among 12 Native American trailblazers — including three from New Mexico — inducted into the newly formed National Native American Hall of Fame on Oct. 13 in Phoenix.”

Native American women candidates seek historic wins in November via The Washington Post

• “… Though the emergence of so many Native American women running for office has seemed to come out of the blue, it is in many ways the result of seeds planted over the past decade at the community and regional levels. ‘The narrative had been that Native Americans were gone, that we’re invisible, that we’re part of history,’ said Jodi Gillette, a member of the Standing Rock Tribe who served as special adviser for Native American issues to President Obama. ‘Well, we’ve been here all along trying to be seen and trying to be relevant and trying to find ways to address our issues. I rejoice in the fact that we’ve got the visibility and are positioned to help lead and not just be seen, but to represent.'”