To Native Americans across the U.S., the month of November means more than just cold weather and fall break – it is a specific time to celebrate culture and heritage.
Washington State Sen. John McCoy spoke at the University of Idaho Tuesday for Native American Heritage Month.
During his address to UI students, McCoy said many Native Americans in Washington and across the U.S. are working vigorously to thrive economically and as a community.
McCoy served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years before representing Washington District 38 for 11 years in the state House of Representatives. He is part of the Tulalip Tribe in Washington.
Many students from different cultural backgrounds were in attendance, including undergraduate student Cynthia Ballesteros. Ballesteros said she came to the lecture to gain knowledge on Native American culture since her nephew is Native American.
“The importance of stressing culture is something I value,” Ballesteros said. “I didn”t know a lot about his culture or heritage and I want him to be able to be raised knowing more about his roots.”
McCoy pointed out many important and contemporary issues that affect Native Americans on a daily basis.
McCoy said one of his major accomplishments as a senator was sponsoring a bill that would incorporate tribal history into K-12 curriculum in the state of Washington. The bill was passed in 2005.
McCoy said passing this bill was a strenuous process because some schools were unwilling to accept the ruling without additional financial support – yet, with some lobbying and compromise, the bill passed. It was a great accomplishment for the Native American community, McCoy said.
Yishan Chen | Argonaut
Washington State Sen. John McCoy spoke at the University of Idaho Tuesday for Native American Heritage Month.
“We should be able to reach everyone so that they understand what the tribes are about,” he said.
McCoy said this piece of legislation is not the only way tribal history can be maintained in schools.
“Tribes have a responsibility too,” McCoy said. “They should go into the school districts and describe how their tribe functions, because not one private government in the United States is structured the same.”
Besides McCoy”s accomplishments in senate, he also successfully managed Quil Ceda Village Business Park, which was founded by the Tulalip Tribe on the northern coast of Washington.
McCoy said tribes should push for sovereignty so they can flourish economically. One way tribes can do this is by creating jobs, bettering education, establishing court systems and improving law enforcement on reservations, McCoy said.
The senator said when he was managing construction in Quil Ceda many contractors tried to entice him to hire non-Native American workers.
“They said they (Native American contractors) don”t have the skill sets that we need,” McCoy said. “I told him, “Excuse me, yes we do and you just need to hire them.””
McCoy said Native Americans need to be persistent when pushing for better opportunities.
“We have to stand on our sovereignty,” McCoy said. “Then after a few years you can look back and say, “Damn, I did a lot of good things.””
Randy Annunziato, a UI graduate student, said the reason he came to the speech was to learn more about how McCoy was widening the variety of cultural education in schools.
“There is a huge under-representation in science fields,” Annunziato said. “I think it”s important for local tribes around the area to be able to voice their story.”
McCoy said he believes more changes are necessary before all tribes can reach sovereignty, but the process is often incremental and tedious. Yet, he remains optimistic about the direction in which Native American reservations are headed.
“Just take those small steps,” McCoy said. “Each small step is a victory.”
Jessica Gee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jaycgeek