"A padlock barred the seven Santee and Ponca students from entering the exhibit on Native people at the University of Nebraska State Museum.

So they sat on benches in the hallway Friday, listening to museum officials talk about what they can expect to see once "First Peoples of the Plains" opens Sept. 30.

"We want to talk about what are contemporary first peoples doing now in the Great Plains," said Alan Osborn, curator of anthropology at the museum.

On Friday, it was pretty clear what the seven students were doing. They were learning to be Native leaders and professionals in the 21st century.

As part of the 2011 Native Sovereignty Youth Project, they listened to Native leaders such as Jai Steadman, an assistant coach for an NBA D-League team in Texas, and Georgiana Lee, assistant director of Native American Public Telecommunications in Lincoln."

Get the Story:
Kevin Abourezk: Project teaches Native youth to be leaders (The Lincoln Journal Star 9/3)