Bill supports tribal regalia at graduations
A bill that protects Native American students’ rights to wear tribal regalia at high school graduations cleared an Assembly committee last week with a 7-0 bipartisan vote.
The measure, Assembly Bill 945 by James C. Ramos (D-Highland), is sponsored by the Yurok Tribe, the ACLU of California and Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
“High school graduations are times of great celebration, especially in tribal communities because tribal kids have the lowest graduation rates of all ethnic groups,” Ramos said in a prepared statement. “Our students have a 75.8% graduation rate compared to the 84.3% statewide rate. Eagle feathers and other symbols of Native American significance underscore not only the personal achievement but also the honor bestowed by the tribal community and the pride the community shares in the graduates’ achievement.”
There are 720,000 people in California who identify as Native American, the text of the bill states.
“Over 300,000 Native American or Alaska Native pupils attended California public schools during the 2019—20 school year,” the bill states.
If approved, the bill would create a task force, including tribal representatives, and a member appointed by the state superintendent of schools. The group would collect input, develop recommendations and submit a report to the Legislature
by April 2023. The first meeting would be held prior to April 1, 2022.
Ramos said that while the state and U.S. Constitution guarantee the right to wear cultural and religious items, some students have been prevented from wearing certain items.
“(The Yurok Tribe) sponsored this bill because we believe that all students in the state should have an opportunity to express their cultural identity on graduation day.”
— Jim McQuillen, the director of the Yurok Education Department
“Despite existing protections, local school officials have raised objections to students wearing eagle feathers, sashes with basket designs, basket caps and beaded medallions during graduation ceremonies,” Ramos said.
Jim McQuillen, the director of the Yurok Education Department, said there were problems in the 1990s related to Yurok students
seeking to wear certain items for graduation.
“Back in the 1990s, we had some pushback on students wearing graduation sashes adorned with tribal basket designs,” he told the TimesStandard. “Thankfully, this is not the case today as tribal students in Humboldt and Del Norte counties are allowed to wear culturally relevant items to graduation events.”
Pointing to a case in Fresno County in which a student seeking to wear a feather at graduation took the fight to court, McQuillen said he wants to make sure that students across the state receive the same treatment.
“(The Yurok Tribe) sponsored this bill because we believe that all students in the state should have an opportunity to express their cultural identity on graduation day,” he said.