Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Indigenous Recognition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington Unified celebrates Indigenous People's Day and installs Native heritage shadow boxes
Summary
At its Oct. 23 meeting, Washington Unified marked Indigenous People's Day with student and tribal presentations, installation of Native heritage 'shadow boxes' at district sites and a public reading of a land acknowledgement tied to Patwin stewardship of the Sacramento Valley.
Washington Unified School District opened its Oct. 23 board meeting with an Indigenous People's Day program that included a cultural prayer song, presentations about a Native American Heritage shadowbox project, and a public recitation of the district land acknowledgement.
J. Marie Flores, director of the district’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said the shadowbox project is embedded in the district strategic plan’s equity and whole‑child pillars and that displays were created in consultation with local tribal leadership and the UC Davis Patwin Memorial to ensure cultural accuracy. "This project lives within our strategic plan, whole child and equity pillars, honoring identity, belonging, and community connection in every school," Flores said.
Leslie McCovi (self‑identified Hoopa, Yurok and Karuk) and family presented a prayer song from a coming‑of‑age ceremony and described making regalia locally so students could see living culture represented on campus. Annette, a parent‑committee speaker, described the shadow boxes as teaching pieces that make Native culture "visible, not history," and urged the board to sustain the practices beyond a single meeting.
An alumnus, Adam Mendes, read the district land acknowledgement aloud and encouraged staff to use the state’s Native American Studies Model Curriculum, noting that students from West Sacramento helped develop lessons included in the state resource. The land acknowledgement in the meeting identified the Patwin people as the original caretakers of the land the district now occupies.
Outcome and next steps: the district said shadow boxes are installed at every WUSD school site and the district office; staff and trustees framed the project as part of continuing curriculum and cultural work. Trustees and attendees thanked presenters and asked staff to continue tribal consultation and student engagement in curriculum development.
