Monday, February 18, 2019 – Remembering Alaska Native civil rights leader Elizabeth Peratrovich
A decade before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala. bus, Elizabeth Peratrovich and her husband were demanding equal rights for Alaska Natives. At the time Alaska Natives were lawfully excluded from theaters, hotels, restaurants and neighborhoods. Peratrovich made a famous speech in a territorial Senate hearing that spurred momentum to end discrimination against Alaska Natives. We’ll learn more about her story, her legacy, and the fight for civil rights in Alaska. Every year, the state sets aside a day to remember Peratrovich’s contributions.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 – The benefits of music education
Numerous studies spanning decades show that music education can help students in other areas of their education, such as reading, vocabulary and even standardized tests. A number of organizations and Native musicians are working to expose more Native students to music education and even get musical instruments into classrooms. We’ll hear about the benefits of teaching music and get a glimpse of the efforts to improve music education for Native students.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 – Getting to the online truth
What can you believe online? The confrontation last month between Omaha elder Nathan Philips and a crowd of rowdy Catholic high school boys was hard enough to interpret from mainstream news reports. It was made even harder by fake social media posts, including an inflammatory note claiming to be from the mother of one of the students. The false tweet wishing the “pioneers had brought more blankets with smallpox” was widely retweeted before the account disappeared. We’ll look into some things to keep in mind when trying to form an opinion from what you read, whether it’s high profile events or texts from friends.
Thursday, February 21, 2019 – Music Maker: Black Belt Eagle Scout
This month we welcome Swinomish & Iñupiat musician Katherine Paul into our monthly celebration of music. Her musical venture is called Black Belt Eagle Scout and her newest album is titled “Mother of My Children.” As a teenager she taught herself to play the guitar and things rocketed from there. She says she plays music to process feelings and there are many emotions that ring out in the different tracks on the album including what it means to face loss and what it means to still dream afterwards. We’ll experience her passionate guitar solos and lyrics on our February Music Maker.
Friday, February 22, 2019 – February in the news
An investigation by the Catholic Dioceses of Covington found no evidence of racist or offensive statements during the viral confrontation between Catholic students and Omaha elder Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C. last month. At least one tribal leader who witnessed the incident finds the conclusions in the report “laughable.” Also the Native American Journalists Association is pushing National Public Radio to more accurately report on the Indian Child Welfare Act. And Elizabeth Warren is officially running for president, setting up the potential for a barrage of insults in an ongoing war of words with President Trump. What is the best journalistic response to the president’s offensive tweets? Tune in for our news round up.
