Save American Indian Academy of Denver rally community support

News Release

Family Leadership Council, American Indian Academy of Denver

Save American Indian Academy of Denver (AIAD) Rally on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at 1865 West Mississippi Avenue, American Indian Academy of Denver. The rally was organized by AIAD parents to demonstrate how important it is to keep American Indian Academy of Denver open this year and beyond. The rally raised awareness of the DPS administration threatening to recommend the closure of AIAD prematurely in December 2022, displacing 134 students and 21 staff members in the middle of a school year.

The rally on November 29th featured support from elected tribal officials from 5 tribes whose ancestral homelands are now the front range of Colorado. They spoke to the irony of the day (the 158th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre) and the irony that these actions are being taken during Native American Heritage Month. The rally also featured state/local elected officials and Indigenous community leaders who recognized the importance of the continued existence of AIAD. 

“If you know even a little bit about [American] Indian History you begin to see what’s going on. Marshall’s Trilogy set the foundation of how to deal with Tribes. Then we had Treaties, there are over 200 treaties and guess what happened to them; they were broken. Tribes were forced to sign those treaties. Displacement, minimization, and marginalization is what we went through on a national scale. The government ran schools with religious organizations to force assimilation. Indian boarding schools forcibly took you away from your families, some as we know never returned home. There has been some improvement in education – like Tribal Colleges have played a role and I view AIAD as being one of those because they have a certain need that they satisfy in Indian Country. We are showcasing AIAD right now and we hope the city of Denver hears us. It’s times like these that require passion, it requires cooperation in this great nation of ours not to minimize and to segregate us but rather to embrace us as Native American people. We’ve always been resilient, we have to fight for what we believe in, and we believe in this school.”

Conrad Fisher, Northern Cheyenne Drum Keeper

“This life our youth are now living is most challenging, it’s most challenging in ways we as adults, as teachers, we as professionals are trying to figure out and a lot of times we do not know the answers, but we all live to try and the bottom line is our tribal existence, our ability to learn, our respect for this earth and our sacred resilience make those people who can simply fund or find the monies to keep the charter school funded. A bargaining chip for the people they actually serve. I know this might not be the statement you are looking for, but it is the statement the leaders of Colorado need to hear.”

Donald Christopher Yellow Eagle Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, Liaison of the Governor’s office of Oklahoma 

“We are not a minority. If you count us from Canada to the tip of South America, we are the majority of Indigenous people. I am glad to see that this academy is here, and it is our job to protect it, to stand by it, and make it the best it can be. Because we are learning every year how to come together to unify and have an education that speaks to our children and the next generations. We do not stand alone.”

Nita Gonzales

“We are a hub or proud Indigenous folks who wanted something better for our students because we knew our district was not moving the needle on much of anything for our kids. 17 years later we are a k-12 school with 17 alumni who returned to teach at our school. We hope AIAD has that same trajectory. Charter schools exist for need and innovation. AIAD has that going for them right now. They serve a need that our current district schools do not serve; do not serve our students well. All too often our students are viewed as empty vessels but yet they come from genius.Our ancestors were the first stagazers, the first scientist, but too often western society does not acknowledge that, and our students deserve to hear who they are and where they come from and to see that when them come to school. AIAD serve that need for students, identity development, wellness – all the things that make a person whole. Innovation and land-based learning – our children need it – community commitment.”

Val Kie, Laguna Pueblo, Native American Community Academy (NACA) Inspired Schools Network

“There is a lot of pride in graduating from DPS. There is a lot of pride in being a student and seeing your student walk across a stage in a cap and gown. It is not too much to ask of district in a city — we do not want to be memorialized — we are here. Write to the Superintendent, write to your school board member and let them know we were here. Let them know I was here, their colleague was here, and let them know this is something we are going to continue to support.”

Paul Lopez, Denver Clerk and Recorder

“We have teachers here who understand our students. They need that, we need that. You can learn about your academics here, and still learn about who you are, and be proud of who you are. We want these doors to stay open for years to come.”

Carlos Castenada

“I am here to support our children.”

Steven Brady, Cheyenne.

---

Related coverage: 

UPDATED — Save American Indian Academy of Denver Families United: Save AIAD Rally – ICT (indiancountrytoday.com)