Issue 2: November
Raptor Report by Diversity Council: Native American Heritage Month
Our Picks
By Sally Edwards and Christina Hwang
Art: Joan Hill
Influenced by the Creek’s legends of her Father, artist Joan Hill uses her works to blend Native American and European artistic methods in realist and abstract expressionist styles. Although Hill’s distinct styles and techniques can’t be defined by a single medium or tradition, her works serve to illustrate the Native American experience in historical and modern terms.
Podcast: ‘All My Relations’
Hosted by Makita Wilbur of the Swinomish and Tulalip Nations and Adrienne Kenne of the Cherokee Nation, the “All My Relations” podcast explores their relationship as indigenous women to their land, cultural relatives, and Native American communities. Their purposeful inclusion of Native American narratives in mainstream media is a great way to educate yourself about the history and current culture of Native American Nations during Native American Heritage month.
Art: Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty
Taught by her mother, artist Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty creates traditional quill and bead art of the Northern Plains. It centers around the nature, daily life, traditions, lessons, and mythology of the Assiniboine Sioux. She has occasionally collaborated with her mother and daughter on larger projects like the Give Away Horses dress, which was showcased in the exhibition "Heart of Our People: Native Women Artists" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This particular piece, like all of her art, has a meaning: honor and selflessness.
Fiction Book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Based on the author’s personal experiences, Sherman Alexie’s youth fiction book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian covers themes of contemporary adolescence, change, and fate. It follows Junior, a budding cartoonist living on a reservation, who decides to attend an all-white high school where the only other Native American is the mascot. Through writing that’s both heartbreaking and funny, Alexie captures the experiences of Native youth.
Musician: Lila Downs
Known for her polished and folkloric lyrics, Lila Downs’s music was heavily influenced by her mother’s Mixtec heritage and her Minnesotan father’s presence in the scholarly world. Her style is a tapestry of Latin, jazz, and indigenous Mexican music: a prime example of the Pan-American experience. In all her albums, there are messages of social justice surrounding female empowerment and the mistreatment of indigenous peoples. Due to her musical talent and vocal activism, she has received a Grammy, 5 Latin Grammys, and Lunas del Auditorio.
Current Events
Thankful For Diversity Day
Today, Friday November 19th, Diversity Council is hosting our annual Thankful for Diversity Day potluck to celebrate our students’ diversity! We’ll have a wide array of dishes from all over the world. Food is free and open to everyone at LASA. Come during lunch to Ms. Owen’s room 706!
Thanksgiving
By Erik Rodriguez
On this Thanksgiving, let’s all be reminded of the holiday’s history and how to celebrate it respectfully. To begin, pop culture white-washes the pact of diplomacy between the Wampanoag tribe and the colonists to promote American patriotism. Rather than their rapports being settled with the shake of a hand and a feast, the colonists were fortunate enough to have a tribe that was willing to coexist with newcomers and even introduce them to practices that would increase their survival through a formal agreement between both parties. Secondly, there is a common misconception that all Native Americans are the same: this is not true. We should celebrate the diverse and important culture of all tribes, which includes music, literature, art and more. Decor that overtly stereotypes Native American attire should be avoided, as well as any other offensive generalizations. Finally, we should honor the kindness of the Wampanoag tribe by giving thanks in spirit to them and truly understanding how their efforts to support the colonists have gotten the United States to what it is today.
Get Involved
By Anna Williams and LiLi Xiong
Donate to Red Feather!
It’s Native American Heritage Month, and it’s never been a better time to take action on the issues Native Americans face today. 40% of Native Americans don’t live in homes that meet the federal standard of “adequate housing” compared to 6% of the rest of the US population. Not having a safe and comfortable house affects the productivity and well-being of Native American tribes and strains community resources. Red Feather is a nonprofit organization that works to assemble volunteers and materials to build and repair homes for the most vulnerable Native American communities. They also provide educational resources around healthy housing practices. Donations to the organization go directly towards providing essential home-related needs such as smoke detectors, hand washing stations, and attic and roof installations. Consider donating or learning more by following this link: https://www.redfeather.org/donate.html
Volunteer at Healing with Horses!
Healing with Horses is an Austin-based nonprofit therapy center that helps individuals suffering from mental health disorders, veterans, and people with disabilities through connecting with horses. The organization offers weekly volunteer opportunities that range from maintaining the barn to helping out as horse handlers. If you’re interested in making a difference in the community and enjoy connecting with animals and other people, learn more at https://healingwithhorsesranch.org/volunteer/
Foster a Pet at Austin Pets Alive!
Austin Pets Alive (APA) is looking for temporary homes for cats and dogs that are waiting to be adopted or moved to a shelter. APA saves more than 10,000 animals from euthanasia annually and two-thirds of the animals are from foster homes and shelters. Fostering an animal is perfect for someone who doesn’t want the lifetime commitment of caring for an animal, but still wants to make a difference and have a loving companion.
Get Involved with ADL!
As Austin faces a distrubing rise in anti-semitic violence and rhetoric, the Austin chapter of the Anti-Defamation League needs your donation and your time. Since 1913, ADL has been combatting anti-semitism: coordinating anti-hate campaigns in schools nationwide, tracking the activity of dangerous white supremacist and anti-semitic hate groups, and promoting Holocaust education, among many other vital community services. Volunteer, donate, and learn more at the following link: https://austin.adl.org/
Student Submissions
Days of Hate
By Zachary Suri
From Austin Monitor: “According to an FBI report, there was a 14 percent increase in hate crimes against Jews or Jewish establishments in 2019, with 953 specific instances...Attacks against Jews made up over 60 percent of all religious hate crimes.”
On the evening of October 31st, as the rest of the world trick-or-treated, gorged on candy, and partied late into the night, my mother received a phone call. Only twenty minutes earlier, we heard a cascade of sirens blare through the neighborhood. Dismissing it at the time as the usual firetruck or the occasional ambulance, I had returned to my homework and promptly forgotten the whole incident.
That night, twenty minutes earlier and a mere half-mile away, someone poured an accelerant around the front entrance to my synagogue and set the building on fire. Congregation Beth Israel, over 150 years old, was attacked by an unknown arsonist. The whole facade of the sanctuary where my Bar Mitzvah ceremony was held is stained with black smoke. The imposing carved wood doors where elderly neighbors welcomed us on the High Holy Days are damaged beyond repair. A large section of stained glass remains shattered.
The week before, a dozen self-described Nazis, clothes emblazoned with swastikas, drove into town from Florida and held a hate-filled banner over MoPac mere blocks from the Jewish Community Center. They wandered downtown that evening, shouting anti-semitic diatribes at passersby. They returned to the overpass the next day with the same banner, and again the next. Police refused to fine or arrest the group for hanging the banner; they arrived only after the banner had been hung for hours and hundreds of Jewish Austinites found themselves at rush hour staring up at a grotesque display of anti-semitism.
At the moment, police and FBI are confident that the arsonist who attempted to burn my sanctuary, my school, and my community to the ground will be caught. Almost two years since weekend religious school had been held at the synagogue for the last time, we were all set to finally meet again in person. Now, it is unclear how long we will have to wait to see our friends, family, and neighbors again in front of the beema. But one thing is clear: when that time comes, we will be there, and we will continue to welcome all with open arms.