Culture on Hiatus Program for students of color suspended. BY SUZI STEFFEN In the Kwakiutl language, the word umista (oo-mees-TAH) means "something precious that is returned." To Gifford Tallmadge, co-coordinator of the Umista Native American Rites of Passage program, umista means "the opportunity to work with our youth in a culturally appropriate framework." Don Addison, teaching in Umista. For ten years, Rites of Passage has been providing summer academic and cultural opportunities for African American youth. An Asian American program was added in 2001, and two more programs, one for Latino youth and Umista, began in 2002. This year, due to a mix of challenges from funding to staffing, the opportunity to participate won't exist for most middle and high-school students. Coordinators wonder if something precious will be lost. Rites of Passage (RoP) began in 1996. About 20 students took classes and produced a massive capstone project. RoP helped students with school, "which can be tough sledding," says Greg Evans, lead faculty in LCC's Multicultural Center. The program also benefitted LCC by recruiting students of color, Evans says. Barbara Delansky, director of Student Life and Leadership at LCC, says this summer is merely "a time to take a breath." She says that retirements combined with budget issues to make the year off a good idea for staff. LCC did not cut funding, she emphasizes (though coordinators note that funding has not increased as programs have been added), but RoP requires soft money from grants, participating school districts and community members. The coordinators need time to find stable sources of outside funding, she says. Last year, RoP served 91 middle- and high school students in five-week programs that offered not only academic credit and cultural reinforcement but also planning for college. RoP's goals include "enriching students culturally, enriching their perspectives and identity, and giving them confidence to help build their self-esteem and sense of purpose," Evans says. This includes culturally specific literature — for instance, Sherman Alexie or Janice Miriktani — and history, along with learning from elders in the community. Evans grew up in Cleveland, and he remembers living in an African American community that stretched for miles. In Lane County, with a 0.7 percent African American population, things aren't exactly the same. "Some of our students didn't even know Langston Hughes!" he says. But RoP brought those students together in a way school couldn't, Evans says. Students in other RoP programs also found the experience powerful. Heading into her freshman year at Springfield High, Savannah Martin, an enrolled member of the Siletz Confederated Tribes, didn't know a lot about her heritage. The 2005 capstone was a chance for her to learn more about her family history. Tallmadge remembers that ceremony. "Our students focused on writing, being able to find their voices," he says. As the students read their stories, many in the audience wept. This year, when the Native American Student Union (NASU) at the UO heard about RoP's suspension, the group and community swung into action. Umista will offer a full program this summer, partially because of the space offered by the Many Nations Longhouse at the UO. Umista students are relieved. Savannah says, "Umista kept me up, kept me ready for school … Umista's just really good for you." For students in Puertas Abiertas, the Latino/Latina RoP, the program provided a sense of pride and a way to show Latino history in public. Co-coordinator Jim Garcia explains that historical and contemporary culture murals hanging at LCC "help diversify the campus with different faces, different names." Unlike other school projects, he says, the murals aren't "in a notebook sitting in someone's office." Umista participants at the drum About 98 percent of the students in Puertas have been bicultural and bilingual, Garcia says, but they must fit into a monolingual school system. In Puertas, they learn that Spanish was spoken before English on land that now belongs to the U.S. When the students hear that history, he says, "They attach to it like a sponge." In the community empowerment class, elders share life stories. "It's a celebratory experience for them to share with students who will appreciate their life experiences," Garcia says. He has heard from students disappointed about the suspension, especially because Latino enrollment in local schools is growing. "We provide fun; we provide culture; we provide family," he says. In Pan Asian RoP, co-coordinator Misa Joo says, families are a vital part of the education. "The wall between school and family is non-existent," she says. Joo taught for many years in the 4J system, but things were different at Pan Asian. "The students would say, 'I love you, Misa; do you love us?' It's a real loving feeling, yet there's respect as well." Joo was so disappointed about the hiatus that she put her feelings about it "to the side" for awhile. "We would have built another great year of relationships, and now it's a pause. … I hope it's not a destructive pause, but you don't take summers off from relationships without some payment," she says. NASU offered the Longhouse, when it is available, to other RoP programs. Joo appreciates that, but says the students "won't get credit, and it's not valued; it's on the fringe. Rites of Passage legitimized it." Umista's Tallmadge says, "We just couldn't say no to our youth," but he feels for the other programs. "It's a real loss for our community when [Rites of Passage] doesn't go on. … This program is so important because we can give our youth a sense of pride in knowing who they are, where they come from and what they can do." On a recent Friday, a Latina woman brought her daughter into the Multicultural Center. "Is Puertas happening this year?" she asked Evans. He shook his head. She indicated her daughter: "She's at Agnes Martin; she'll be at Springfield High this fall." Evans shook his head again, and she paused before going on. "I wanted her to have the program going into high school." "We're taking a year off," Evans said. "But she can come next year. And we're having a 3-day mini Rites of Passage in October." A year is a long time for a 14-year-old, but this summer, the daughter will have to find some other way to stay up for school. Umista starts July 7; coordinators are still accepting applications and monetary donations. Contact Natasha Joseph at njoseph@uoregon.edu or 346-3723. Students in 8th-12th grades interested in a two-week modified Pan Asian program can email Misa Joo at mjoo@efn.org or call 345-5739.
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