California lets students wear tribal regalia at graduations. Why it’s still controversial
Eight years ago, California passed a law requiring high schools to allow students to wear eagle feathers, abalone necklaces and other regalia at graduations.
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The brutal story behind California's new Native American genocide education law
In the 1860s, an armed militia swept into the historic land of the Serrano people in the San Bernardino mountains and went on a killing spree, attempting to slaughter the entire tribe. A tribal leader named Santos Manuel led the surviving 30 members to safety in a nearby valley.
Now, Manuel’s great-great grandson has ensured that every K-12 student in California will learn the story of the Serrano people and other California native tribes who endured atrocities during the Spanish colonial and Gold Rush eras in California history.
How a racist law is causing more missing and murdered indigenous people in California
Opinion BY JAMES C. RAMOS SPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE
California has the fifth-highest number of missing and murdered Indigenous people cases in the country. How did we get here?
After passing Public Law 280 in 1953, Congress essentially washed its hands of funding law enforcement and criminal justice on tribal lands in six states: Alaska, California, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon and Wisconsin. That meant much fewer resources for public safety and significant obstacles to preventing or resolving cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people in these states.
Taking action against the scourge of addiction and fentanyl
Grief-stricken. Angry. Determined. Those words describe the group of bereaved families who stood outside the San Bernardino Police Department last Dec. 9.
CA Lawmaker Wants Office of Suicide Prevention To Protect Young People
Democratic California Assemblyman James Ramos has a bill that he says would create an Office of Suicide Prevention to reduce suicides, particularly among vulnerable groups like adolescents, seniors, veterans, and LGBTQ people.
"Suicide is a horrific tragedy that affects too many, and now we are seeing youth at a much younger age taking their own lives," Ramos said. "AB 2112 will assist California to renew our efforts to prevent suicide and stem the devastation."
50 Inland teachers celebrate California Native American Day at conference hosted by San Manuel
Brian Whitehead with the San Bernardino Sun published a piece on the educational workshops for teachers and students in conjunction with California Native American Day.
Ramos, a former San Manuel chairman, said the annual gathering aspires to “undo decades of misinformation that has been told in textbooks.”
“These conferences,” he added, “are an important part of healing from these tragedies and retelling the history of California Native Americans for future generations to come.”