With Nov. already here, it marks the start of Native American History Month. To spread awareness about Indigenous history, Girls United held their first-ever in-school meeting about NAHM on Nov. 13. By creating a safe space to discuss this heavy topic, new perspectives were heard and members gained a new understanding of different experiences.
According to club advisor Julia Germain, the main factor considered when deciding to acknowledge NAHM in school this year was the under coverage of the history in school. She said it’s great to have a space to talk and learn about Indigenous history.
“A big part of it is just specifically a history that is not included and not represented in schools, and so I think it was cool of our leaders to hold a meeting where they made space to learn about the history and talk about the history,” Germain said.
Sela Myers, senior president of Girls United, said when there are specific months that celebrate minorities, the club tends to cover them to gain multiple perspectives throughout the year. She said it’s important to learn and understand the different experiences women in other cultures have.
“We think that it’s important to learn about the many different experiences of women, especially Indigenous women,” Myers said. “A big problem is that a lot of them are murdered or go missing, and when we have these meetings, it helps create awareness. We’ve talked about Indigenous women being murdered before, and there’s new cases and so much to be done, so it’s important to keep talking about it.”
Adrienne Krill, sophomore and board member of Girls United, said the main reason behind holding a meeting in school for NAHM was because of the different communities within the school. She said bringing attention to the fact the Indigenous community is a minority also contributed to the decision.
“We have a community of Indigenous people in this school, and it’s also a community that isn’t mentioned as much and is a minority, so just bringing awareness to that was the main reason [we covered it],” Krill said.
According to Germain, many people don’t think about this topic outside of classes and school. She said having space for conversations not only during Nov. but throughout the whole year is a way Girls United plans to continue acknowledging Indigenous peoples.
“A lot of it just happens in conversations with friends in class. I think a lot of times people just think of it as conversations that happen in social studies,” Germain said. “But, Indigenous history is our history, and I think throughout the month, just making sure that we hold space for that in our conversations, and not just during this month, but throughout the entire year, regardless of whether you’re in a class or not.”
Myers said Girls United is focused on creating awareness and understanding within the club. She said hearing new perspectives is an important part of what the club does.
“We were listening to stuff about cases of murdered Indigenous women in California. And then they talk a little bit about the backstory. By doing that, we create more awareness and understanding of ourselves and what’s going on. I think hearing new perspectives is super important in our club and what we want to do,” Myers said.
According to Krill, she has no personal goals for this month. She said being aware and educated is a way she will acknowledge NAHM.
“I don’t have anything planned, but being able to keep it in mind and educate yourself more about Indigenous people and Native American people and just be aware of that is something personal I’ll do,” Krill said.
