Help me give my students the life-changing experience of a Zoom Visit with Lenape and Chippewa Activist, Artist and Pow Wow Organizer George Stonefish.
My students reflect the cultural richness of New York City - and they speak approximately 34 different languages among them!
Our school is an academically rigorous, tuition-free high school and college associate's degree program.
Many of my students are the first in their families to attend college. They are very eager for the opportunity to earn two years of free college tuition at the time of their high school graduation.
It is incredibly rewarding to work with such curious, eager, and motivated students.
My Project
George Stonefish is a singer, dancer, artist, speaker, and activist on behalf of indigenous peoples. A New York City native and member of the Delaware (Lenape) and Chippewa nations, he sits on the board of directors of the American Indian Community House. In 2018, he organized the first Lenape Pow Wow in Manhattan since the island’s original inhabitants were driven out by European invaders more than 300 years ago.
Stonefish has spoken to our students before about Native American identity -- he prefers the to call them "First Nation People" -- and he was truly inspiring.
With the election this fall, as we reflect on American citizenship and activism, it's a perfect time to invite him back. In past talks, he has discussed his experience of being a Lenape, a tribe from New York that no longer has a reservation here, and the experience of rootlessness that this has created. He has spoken about growing up in Manhattan and how his identity shifted over time as he spent summers with his grandparents' on their reservation. He answered students' questions about Thanksgiving, and Columbus Day (he doesn't celebrate them), and spoke about his activism, fighting for a voice, and reparations for First Nation People. Additionally, he has spoken about immigration and its role in American identity and citizenship.
Stonefish is the ideal person to talk about what it means to be American, and how we can more deeply appreciate the first Americans. One thing he said stays with me. First Nation People's prayers are about thanking the gods for what we already have--not about asking for things that we don't have. Stonefish is a special visitor to our school community and we humbly give him thanks for shining his light on us. We look forward to having him back.
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