Kessler Keener Foundation

12/26/2024

Happy Holidays from the Kessler-Keener Foundation! 🎄 ✨

Wishing you peace, joy, and warmth this holiday season. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to uplift underrepresented voices and celebrate diversity. See you in 2025! 🌟

12/23/2024

New Lens on Native American Life 📸

For 30 years, Edward S. Curtis captured the lives of Native Americans in the early 20th century. While his photographs offer a valuable historical record, some argue that his work reinforced harmful stereotypes.

Today, Diné photographer Will Wilson (Navajo Nation) is changing the narrative. Through his Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange project, Wilson is reimagining how Indigenous communities are portrayed. His work is now on display at the Sun Valley Museum of Art.

Wilson joined Idaho Matters to share more about his ongoing project and the importance of reclaiming the visual representation of Native peoples. 🖼️✨

Credit: Boise State Public Radio 👉 Listen here: https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/show/idaho-matters/2024-11-25/nativie-american-photography-sun-valley

Photo Credit: B&W Photography

12/19/2024

New Resource Alert: Indigenous Peoples of the Boise Valley Recommended Reading List 📚

We’re excited to add a new resource to our website to encourage deeper engagement with Native literature! Our Indigenous Peoples of the Boise Valley Conference 2019 Recommended Reading List features powerful books by Native authors, along with works exploring the experiences of Indigenous peoples in the Boise Valley and beyond.

This curated list includes titles that highlight the histories, cultures, and perspectives of Indigenous communities, with an emphasis on books that resonate with the region. Each Native author is noted with their tribal or nation affiliation (as they self-identify), and illustrators are also recognized for their contributions. It’s the perfect starting point for anyone looking to explore Indigenous voices and stories.

Check it out now under the Resources tab on our website! 👉https://www.kesslerkeenerfoundation.org/reading-lists

12/17/2024

Supporting Indigenous Students at the University of Idaho 🙌

The University of Idaho, located on the ancestral lands of the Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce, and Palouse tribes, is working to better support its Indigenous students. The Argonaut interviewed Dr. Philip Stevens, Associate Professor and Director of American Indian Studies, to gain a better understanding of the resources and support for Indigenous students at UI. Dr. Stevens highlighted the strengths of UI’s Native American Student Center and student initiatives like Vandal Nation, a drumming group that helps recruit Indigenous students. However, Dr. Stevens also called for a shift in the higher education system to embrace Indigenous approaches to learning—focused on holistic development and respecting Native students as members of sovereign nations.

Dr. Stevens emphasizes the need for universities to go beyond "white education" by recognizing the value of Indigenous knowledge systems. He advocates for greater respect and support for Native students, including better scholarships and resources that honor their cultural status.

Credit: Maddox Durham, The Argonaut👉 https://www.uiargonaut.com/2024/11/28/opinion-we-should-do-more-to-support-indigenous-students-in-public-education/

📸: Henry Halcomb - Artwork adorns the walls of the Tribal Nations Lounge in the Pitman Center

12/12/2024

Kessler Keener Foundation Program Spotlight: Book Clubs & Study Circles on Race and Racism 📚

Looking to engage in meaningful discussions about racism from Indigenous and Black perspectives? Our weekly virtual book clubs and study circles offer a space to dive deep into works by authors of color, exploring themes of race, racism, and the impacts these systems have on individuals and communities.

Each session is guided by facilitators who encourage participants to challenge societal norms and dominant narratives around race. It's an opportunity to not only read but reflect and connect with others in a way that fosters personal growth and collective understanding.

🔍 What to Expect:
✨ Thought-provoking discussions on powerful literary works
✨ A supportive community of readers, thinkers, and changemakers
✨ Opportunities to challenge and expand your perspectives

Whether you're looking to better understand your own relationship with race or wanting to engage with diverse voices, these book clubs and study circles provide a valuable space for reflection, dialogue, and learning.

Interested in joining? Email us at [email protected] for more information!

12/08/2024

🚨TOMORROW🚨 President Biden will address tribal leaders at the White House Tribal Nations Summit. This will be the fourth consecutive year that President Biden has spoken at the summit, and marks the last Tribal Nations Summit of the Biden Administration.

"The summit, which reconvened in 2021 for the first time since 2016, brings tribal nations together with the current administration, providing an opportunity to explore ways the federal government can invest in and strengthen Native communities. It also aims to ensure that progress in Indian Country endures for years to come. Leaders from all 574 federally recognized tribal nations are invited, along with leaders of national and regional Native American organizations and members of Congress.

During the first Trump administration, no Tribal Nations Summits were held." (Native News Online, December 5 👉https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/president-joe-biden-will-address-the-white-house-tribal-nations-summit-on-monday-dec-9)

12/07/2024

Our December Book Recommendation is here!📚

Lewis and Clark Among the Nez Perce: Strangers in the Land of the Nimiipuu (2015) by Allen Pinkham (Nimiipuu/Nez Perce) & Steven R. Evans

This powerful work offers a fresh perspective on the Lewis and Clark expedition by blending the explorers’ journals with the oral histories of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) people. Written by Nez Perce scholar Allen Pinkham, this book delves into the complex interactions between the expedition and the Nimiipuu, offering an essential look at history through Indigenous eyes. 🌿✨

The Nimiipuu, long stewards of the land, share their own stories of what it meant to encounter these "strangers," giving voice to a critical part of American history often overlooked.

A must-read for anyone seeking a deeper, more nuanced understanding of this journey. 🏞️📖

12/05/2024

Native News Spotlight 🌿

The National Park Service has issued its first-ever director’s order to improve consultation with Native tribes across the Mountain West. Directed by Chuck Sams, the first Native American to lead the agency, the order aims to ensure tribes are meaningfully involved in decisions about land management.

By recognizing plants and animals as cultural resources and respecting tribal sovereignty and oral traditions, this step highlights the importance of collaboration. More than 100 parks already have tribal co-stewardship agreements, including Yellowstone, where tribes are helping manage bison populations.

Credit: Boise State Public Radio 👉 https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/2024-11-18/national-park-service-directors-order-strengthen-consultation-tribes

11/21/2024

We asked our Board Members what Native American Heritage Month means to them. Here's what Board Vice Chair and Secretary, Linda McGraw, had to say 💬

11/19/2024

✨ Last year, over 200 teachers from the US and Canada came together virtually for Native History Month to explore how to better teach Indigenous histories and promote education sovereignty. 🙌

Thankfully, has compiled key takeaways from their training and shared amazing resources for educators! 📚 Topics include:
➡️ "Pipeline Protests: Teaching Climate Civil Disobedience"
➡️ "Using Children’s Books to Address Indigenous Boarding Schools"
➡️ "The Trouble with History"

‼️ Educators, this is a must-have resource for your classrooms and beyond! Don’t miss out!

Below are resources from each session. For additional teaching resources, see the NMAI’s Native Knowledge 360° website and the Zinn Education Project website. KEYNOTE Keynote Recording Keynote: Reclaiming Education Sovereignty Resources from the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative NMAI Nati...

11/19/2024

Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team.
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A point guard, she played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and spent eight seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), primarily with the Charlotte Sting. Staley also played on the United States women's national basketball team, winning three gold medals at the Olympic Games from 1996 to 2004, and was the head coach of the team that won an Olympic gold medal in 2021. She is the first person to win the Naismith Award as both a player and a coach.
During her college career with Virginia from 1988 to 1992, Staley set the NCAA record for steals, the school record for points, and the ACC record for assists. She played professionally in the American Basketball League (ABL) during its three years of operation before being selected ninth overall by the Sting in the 1999 WNBA draft. As a member of the Sting and the Houston Comets, she received six consecutive WNBA All-Star selections from 2001 to her final season in 2006. Staley spent most of her WNBA career simultaneously serving as the head coach of the Temple Owls women's basketball team from 2000 to 2008, leading them to six NCAA tournaments, three regular-season conference championships, and four conference tournament titles.
After becoming South Carolina's head coach in 2008, Staley rebuilt the Gamecocks into one of the top women's basketball programs. During her 16 seasons, she has led South Carolina to eight SEC regular season championships, eight SEC tournament championships, eight Sweet Sixteens, five Final Fours, and three NCAA women's basketball national championships, including the school's first in 2017 and a perfect season in 2024. Staley was inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
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11/15/2024

Teaching for Change has recently curated a collection of literature for young readers from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade that "challenge stereotypes and focus on contemporary Native Americans" in honor of Native American Heritage Month. If you have young readers in your life, we recommend checking oout their recommendations for a new book! 📚

This list is by Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL). AICL provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society.