Leaders sent letter to school seeking to ‘build understanding’ after students were filmed in apparent confrontation

Native American community leaders have offered to educate the staff and students at Covington Catholic high school after its students were filmed in an apparent confrontation with a Native American elder at the Lincoln Memorial last week.

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“There is an opportunity here to learn from what happened,” Native American leaders with the the Awake Media Program said in a letter sent to the school in Park Hills, Kentucky, on Thursday.

The incident, which took place during an anti-abortion rally in Washington DC on Sunday, has laid bare stark divisions across the US. The footage drew immediate condemnation over the weekend.

Nick Sandmann, the student featured prominently in the footage, told NBC’s Today on Wednesday he “wasn’t smirking” or acting “disrespectful” against Native American activist Nathan Phillips. When additional footage of the incident became available, conservative media jumped into the fray, accusing liberal media of rushing to judgment.

“While we know that this is a divisive time, we are coming to you with a hope to build understanding,” wrote the group, which advocates for more Native stories and representation in media. “We would like to hold a workshop or a series of talks guided by our program leaders and community elders to help your school staff, administration and students learn about our lives, our beliefs and how to treat people of different backgrounds with thoughtfulness and care.”

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The phone line for Covington Catholic high school was disconnected Thursday, and school officials did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

“It’s just a big mess,” Doug Good Feather, a leader leader of the Lakota Way Healing Center and the Awake Media Program, told the Guardian. “You got both sides striking out at each other.”

This is where education and understanding comes into play, said Good Feather, a descendent of Sitting Bull.

“Instead of yelling and screaming and pointing fingers, we have to teach and help people understand,” he said. “Instead of constantly fighting each other, we need to take responsibility and educate each other and evolve. And when we give our kids that kind of teaching to work together, we will evolve lightyears ahead. But if we don’t, we’re just going to be stuck.”

“It was disgusting, just seeing how bad it got,” said Anpa’o Locke, a 20-year-old fellow with the Awake Media Program. “But we’ve been resistant and resilient for the past 500 years. This is not new to us.”

Locke recalled feeling “a boiling” within her body when she first watched the video. But even with her anger, she understands that education is the first step.

When indigenous stories are ignored or erased and Native people are considered unfamiliar or foreign, they are allowed to be written off as “the other” in an us versus them news cycle, Locke said.

In making sure people know about Native culture and beliefs, “we don’t get swept up and people don’t walk over us anymore”, she said.

“It’s just about us standing up for us,” she said. “This is the last straw. We are here and you can’t forget us any more.”