Indian women leaders address race and diversity

Friday, May 11, 2007  

Indian women leaders spoke about diversity and race at Spelman College, a historically black college in Georgia.

Beverly Wright, a former chairwoman of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, moderated the panel. “We know where we come from, who our ancestors are, and we have great pride in that,” she said, Diverse Issues in Higher Education reported.

Elizabeth Neptune, a council member for the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine, said racism is still alive. The tribe's Indian Township reservation is located in one of the 11 poorest counties in the nation.

Brenda A. Commander, the first woman chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians in Maine, spoke about tribal politics. "It takes a tribe five times longer than usual for anything to get done, but the more tribes keep talking, they’ll get it done,” she said.

Wright also addressed national issues. “If you’re a tribe with no economic growth and looking for funds, the pot in Washington gets smaller,” she said.

Get the Story:
We Want to be Included, Say Women Tribal Leaders (Diverse Issues in Higher Education 5/11)