Category Archives: History

CHARLESTON The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at http://www.wvencyclopedia.org.

Oct. 10, 1774: Shawnee warriors led by Cornstalk were defeated at the Battle of Point Pleasant. It was the only major engagement of Dunmores War and the most important battle ever fought in present West Virginia.

Oct. 10, 1872: Architect Rus Warne was born in Parkersburg. Warne designed many notable buildings in Charleston, including City Hall and the Masonic Temple.

Oct. 10, 1878: Blanche Lazzell was born in Maidsville, Monongalia County. She was one of West Virginias most notable artists and is recognized as one of Americas leading abstract painters and print makers.

Oct. 10, 1948: During a boat-racing event in Charleston, Chuck Yeager flew a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star up the river and under the South Side Bridge, surprising boaters, audience and news media at the event.

Oct. 11, 1811: State founder and U.S. Senator Waitman Thomas Willey was born near Farmington. Willey proposed the West Virginia Statehood Bill in the Senate and saw to its passage and later signing by President Lincoln. He was then elected as one of West Virginias first two U.S. senators and served from 1863 to 1871.

Oct. 12, 1877: Howard Mason Gore was born in Harrison County. He served as U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 14th governor of West Virginia.

Oct.13, 1863: The Battle of Bulltown took place. The location was valuable during the Civil War because the Weston & Gauley Bridge Turnpike crossed the Little Kanawha River on a covered bridge at this site.

Oct. 14, 1947: In a Bell X-1 rocket airplane dropped from a B-29 bomber, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier by flying 700 miles per hour. He set another speed record on December 12, 1953, by flying two-and-a-half times the speed of sound in a Bell X-1A.

Oct. 14, 1949: WSAZ-TV went on the air on channel 5. Early shows included the first telecast of a Marshall College (now University) basketball game on December 3, 1949.

Oct. 14, 1985: Kanawha Airport was renamed Yeager Airport in honor of Chuck Yeager.

Oct. 15, 1839: Aretas Brooks Fleming was born in Fairmont. In 1888, Fleming won the Democratic nomination for governor and then won West Virginias most controversial gubernatorial election.

Oct. 16, 1859: John Brown and his raiders captured the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, but they were soon besieged by the local militia and federal troops. The raid galvanized the nation, further alienating North and South and drastically reducing any possible middle ground for compromise.

Oct. 16, 1922: The Rev. Leon Sullivan was born in Charleston. In 1977, Sullivan initiated the original Sullivan Principles, a code of conduct for companies operating in South Africa. The Principles were among the most effective efforts to end the system of apartheid.

e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information, contact the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1310 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301; (304) 346-8500; or visit e-WV at http://www.wvencyclopedia.org

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This week in history | Journal-news - Martinsburg Journal

BLOOMINGTON (WEEK) - History is taking flight in Bloomington with the guest appearance of a B-25 bomber built in 1943.

The historic combat veteran aircraft arrived Friday at the Central Illinois Regional Airport as a guest of the Prairie Aviation Museum.

Inspired by the Rosie the Riveter campaign, 'Rosie's Reply' was used back in the 1940s as a medium bomber during World War II.

According to crew member Jerry Lester, this particular aircraft is called a medium bomber because U.S. soldiers flew at mid-levels during their bombing runs.

"Our philosophy is we have to keep history flying. We want to make sure we continue honoring the men and women that served, and these airplanes are just one way to do it."

The museum is now offering 25 minuteAir Adventure rideswith tickets selling for about $425 per person, and around six passengers per flight. Organizers tell 25 News the funds will help keep these historic aircrafts expertly maintained.

'Rosie's Reply' will stay in Bloomington Friday through Saturday afternoon.

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History takes flight in Bloomington with B-25 bomber - week.com

KARE 11's Gia Vang helped surprise Chenue Her on his first day on anchor desk in Des Moines, Iowa.

MINNEAPOLIS Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on WOI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa on Oct. 4, 2021.

History was made this week just a few hours south of Minneapolis.

In Des Moines, Iowa, Chenue Her, a St. Paul native, became the first Hmong male news anchor in the country.

KARE 11's Gia Vang, the first Hmong news anchor in the Twin Cities, helped surprise her friend and fellow journalist on his first day at WOI-TV Local 5 News.

Back on Oct. 4, Her made his debut on the anchor desk with his "Good Morning Iowa" co-anchors. During the show, Her was surprised with a pre-recorded message from Vang, who he's known for several years.

"I am thrilled for your new adventure back in the Midwest, just a short drive from your hometown here in the Twin Cities. Over the years I have watched you grow and thrive in this industry, and I felt your support being two of the very few TV news journalists who are Hmong," Vang said. "Now you're making history as the first Hmong male news anchor in the country. Haib kawg nkaus."

Haib kawg nkaus, which translates to "really amazing job," is a Hmong saying used to celebrate amazing achievements.

Back on camera, Her laughed and told viewers "I'll try not to cry."

"She's a big reason why I was able to find my footing in this industry. She's been a big part of my journey and someone I've looked up to for so long," Her said of Vang. "I'm kind of speechless right now that you guys pulled this off."

Friday morning, CBS Mornings shared a portion of the exchange between Vang and Her. In the clip, which has been viewed thousands of times, CBS correspondent Vladimir Duthiers said the moment "speaks to how underrepresented people need to be seen and to have people see them."

In response to the CBS feature, Her tweeted, "I swear Im still dreaming. Someone pinch me."

"To think they felt my story, a Hmong kid from St. Paul, MN, was worth this platform really is surreal to me. Des Moines, thank u for embracing me & for supporting @weareiowa5news."

Vang says she and the team at Good Morning Iowa didn't expect their on-air surprise to get such a widespread response online. "We just thought it would be special to do for him," she said. "But I think the reaction it's getting speaks to how representation truly does matter to not just the community, but the country. Dream even if you're a Hmong kid from St. Paul or a Hmong kid from south Sacramento."

Her, a son of Hmong refugees, came to Des Moines from WXIA in Atlanta, where he worked as a reporter.

KARE 11, WOI and WXIA are all owned by TEGNA.

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St. Paul native makes history as first Hmong male news anchor in America - KARE11.com

Halloween is almost here, and with it comes the things that go bump in the night. Mason Countys history stretches back over 250 years through disasters, wars, good times and bad, so its inevitable that we have our fair share of ghost stories.

The following is based on a true story. *Cue X-Files theme.

Im sure most my readers know where The Strip Mines are. If not, its out back of the Bend Area where Zuspans strip mines were, between Hanging Rock and Gibbstown. Today, its all farmland and ponds (and a popular hangout spot). It also holds a dark secret

Over 150 years ago, in 1850, this area was a pocket of farmland surrounded on all four sides by thick forest, known as the Big Woods. That was changing though, as the coal mines and salt furnaces of the Bend Area sought out lumber for their mills and attracted laborers from the country farms. The mills, looking for old growth, worked their way out from Hartford, Mason, and Clifton and clear-cut enormous tracts of countryside.

The lumber operations by themselves required a small army of laborers, and the clear-cutting provided an easy route from Gibbstown to Clifton, Mason, or Hartford. This little pocket of farmland, in just a few years, had gone from being pretty much the middle of nowhere to a major crossroad between the four towns. This is where our story begins.

One of the farmers out in this little pocket of farmland was David Somerville. David, his wife Catherine, and their eight children lived a fairly ordinary life. The two older boys, William and Weston, were laborers, possibly with one of the lumber mills. The two younger boys, John and David, along with daughters Rebecca, Mary, Catherine, and Martha, helped their parents on the farm.

One night, Mary was the only one home. Perhaps the rest of the family had gone to town or were visiting nearby relatives. Either way, Mary was home alone.

As the legend goes, a group of men were passing the farm that night. Maybe they were lumberjacks returning to town, maybe they were miners returning home. Well never truly know. Anyhow, to make a very sad story short, they saw that Mary was home alone, broke into the Somerville cabin, assaulted her, and afterwards took her deep into the Big Woods and buried her. Alive.

Though Mary was obviously missing, the crime was never discovered. Her family left Mason County not long after and resettled in Indiana, but Mary remained here, some say in more ways than one.

It wasnt long after when farmers and woodsmen began reporting a womans screams in the night, coming from the Big Woods. They had spent their entire lives in the countryside, so they knew that it wasnt coyotes, it wasnt some other animal, and it wasnt the wind. Some Irish immigrants feared they had brought a banshee with them, but it had started before they arrived. Not knowing about Mary, they simply called her the Screaming Lady.

For over one hundred years, the Screaming Lady haunted the Big Woods. More often than not, she was heard rather than seen. Screams with what seemed like no source echoing through the woods. Other times

One night a newcomer to the area heard the screams, and thinking a living woman was actually in trouble, did what any normal person would do and called the cops. Well, the cops came out and found the source of the screaming, a ghostly woman standing in the road with her face all scratched up and bloody. Again, they did what any sane person would do, turned the car around and got the heck out of there! Only problem was, her screams followed them all the way to town.

Finally, in 1986, Mary Somervilles grave was discovered while strip mining the Big Woods. Work was stopped in the area, and Foglesong Funeral Home was brought in to exhume the remains and give them a proper burial in Zuspan Cemetery. I like to think that since then, the Screaming Lady has been at rest.

Of course, that doesnt stop parents and older cousins (mine and myself included) from using the legend for a bit of fun! This time of year is always marked by drives through the Strip Mines, a car mysteriously dying and not wanting to restart, and a did you hear that? I think I hear the Screaming Lady!

Rizer

Chris Rizer is the president of the Mason County Historical & Preservation Society and director of Main Street Point Pleasant, reach him at masonchps@gmail.com.

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Ohio Valley History Screams in the night - Daily Sentinel

BOONE, N.C. Mountaineers welcomed fall with a flurry of activities from Sept. 1719 highlighted by the fourth annual Founders Day celebration, during which a crowd gathered at Founders Plaza on App States campus Sept. 17 to honor the universitys founders, history and traditions.

Reflecting on our past emphasizes our longstanding, institutional commitment to increasing access to education for all. This commitment to access which was set forth by our founders has guided us to be the forward-thinking university we are today.

App State Chancellor Sheri Everts

Founders Day commemorates the anniversary of the first day of classes held in 1899 at Watauga Academy the educational institution founded by B.B. Dougherty, D.D. Dougherty and Lillie Shull Dougherty that evolved to become Appalachian State University in 1967.

Reflecting on our past emphasizes our longstanding, institutional commitment to increasing access to education for all, said App State Chancellor Sheri Everts. This commitment to access which was set forth by our founders has guided us to be the forward-thinking university we are today.

During the challenges of the past 18 months, as the university confronted the COVID-19 pandemic, Everts said the Appalachian Community rallied to find every opportunity to create positive experiences for students and move the university forward. Through two World Wars, the Great Depression and the first global pandemic, Mountaineer spirit continues to prevail, she said.

The history and future of App State are intrinsically interwoven with that of the High Country. As a guest speaker at the ceremony, App State alumnus David Jackson 00, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and former staff member at the university, expressed his appreciation for the partnership between the town and the university.

He said, Theres no secret that all of us understand what it means to have the black and gold spirit inside us.

The tradition of ringing the Founders Bell, an iconic symbol of App States history, was established in 2019, as the university celebrated its second annual Founders Day.

Each inductee of App States Bell Ringers Society rings the bell and receives a commemorative pin from the chancellor.

Dr. Karl Campbell, associate professor in App States Department of History and chair of the universitys History Committee, introduced the 2021 class of the Bell Ringers Society with members representing the App State that was, the App State that is and the App State that is to come, he said.

In his remarks, the historian asked Founders Day attendees to consider how the actions of todays Appalachian Community will affect Mountaineers of tomorrow: How will history look back on us from 100 years in the future? Will it be said that we emerged from our present situations with flying colors? Will our actions be remembered with pride?

He continued, A century ago, our community exemplified the power of resilience and unity. Lets work together to make our own positive contribution to the historical legacy of Appalachian State University.

Appalachian State University inducted the 2021 class of its Bell Ringers Society during the 2021 Founders Day celebration, held Sept. 17. Chancellor Sheri Everts, center in second row, is pictured with the new bell ringers. Shown in the back row, from left to right: Lynn Patterson 89, university program specialist in App States Belk Library and Information Commons; Bo Henderson 79, one of the eponyms of App States Henderson Springs LGBT Center; and Sam Cheatham, a senior marketing-sales and management double major from Mills River and co-business director of App States Team Sunergy. Shown in the front row, from left to right: Jim Whittington 52, a former App State student-athlete; Roberta Jackson 91, a retired App State staff member and founding member of the Junaluska Heritage Association; Maxine McCall 60 65, a published author and leader in the North Carolina Society of Historians; and Mike Steinback, a former App State Board of Trustees chairman. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Lynn Patterson 89, university program specialist in Appalachian State Universitys Belk Library and Information Commons, rings the Founders Bell during Founders Day 2021 as Chancellor Sheri Everts looks on. Later in the day, during a Founders Day tour of the Boone Cemetery on App States campus, Patterson shared with the crowd the work of the Junaluska Heritage Association and university partners to identify unmarked graves of Black persons in a section of the cemetery. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Bo Henderson 79, one of the eponyms of Appalachian State Universitys Henderson Springs LGBT Center, rings App State's Founders Bell during the 2021 Founders Day ceremony. Henderson is one of seven new members inducted into App State's Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Appalachian State University alumna Maxine McCall 60 65, a published author and leader in the North Carolina Society of Historians, rings App State's Founders Bell during the 2021 Founders Day ceremony. McCall is one of seven new members inducted into App State's Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Jim Whittington 52, a former Appalachian State University student-athlete, rings App State's Founders Bell during the 2021 Founders Day ceremony. Whittington is one of seven new members inducted into App State's Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Roberta Jackson 91, a retired Appalachian State University staff member and founding member of the Junaluska Heritage Association, rings App State's Founders Bell during the 2021 Founders Day ceremony. Jackson is one of seven new members inducted into App State's Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Mike Steinback, a former Appalachian State University Board of Trustees chairman, rings App State's Founders Bell during the 2021 Founders Day ceremony. Steinback is one of seven new members inducted into App State's Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Appalachian State University's Sam Cheatham, a senior marketing-sales and management double major from Mills River and the co-business director of App States solar vehicle team, rings App State's Founders Bell during the 2021 Founders Day ceremony. Cheatham is one of seven new members inducted into App State's Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Appalachian State University alumnus David Jackson 00, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and former staff member at the university, highlighted the interdependency of the town and university in his address to the crowd gathered for Founders Day 2021. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Trent Margrif, senior lecturer in Appalachian State Universitys General Education Program, far left, conducts a tour of the Boone Cemetery, located on Howard Street, as part the universitys Founders Day 2021 celebration. Several historic figures, including university founders B.B. Dougherty, D.D. Dougherty and Lillie Shull Dougherty, are buried in the cemetery. Photo by Beth Davison

The historic Boone Cemetery, located along Howard Street, behind Cone Hall on Appalachian State Universitys campus, is the burial site of several notable figures from the town and university. Pictured in the foreground are flags placed by App State anthropology students indicating the unmarked graves of Black individuals. Photo by Beth Davison

Dr. Alice Wright, pictured second from right, instructs a group of students in placing flags to indicate unmarked graves in the historic Boone Cemetery on Appalachian State Universitys campus. Wright is an associate professor in App States Department of Anthropology. Photo by Troy Tuttle

Students pick up some souvenirs and display their Mountaineer spirit during AppalFest on Sanford Mall, celebrating Appalachian State Universitys Founders Day 2021 and the kickoff to Family Weekend. Photo by Troy Tuttle

Students enjoy a sweet treat on Sanford Mall during AppalFest part of the Founders Day 2021 festivities at Appalachian State University. Photo by Troy Tuttle

Earlier in the day, Founders Day attendees had the opportunity to learn more about App States history through a presentation about the historic cemetery located on campus, given by senior lecturer Trent Margrif. Known as the Boone Cemetery, the site is home to some historic figures from the town and university who are buried there.

After the Founders Day ceremony on Founders Plaza, Margrif led a tour of the cemetery, highlighting gravesites of notable town and university members, as well as a number of graves of Black individuals that are unmarked. The latter graves were flagged for the Founders Day tour by Department of Anthropology students, to showcase ongoing work for a preservation project by the Junaluska Heritage Association.

Free food, music, crafts and fun. What was not to love about the Founders Day finale on Sanford Mall? Students flocked to AppalFest to listen to music by a DJ, feast on hot dogs and cotton candy, frolic on inflatable slides and rev up their school spirit for the Mountaineers first home football game of the 2021 season, which took place Sept. 18.

With this years Founders Day coinciding with the kickoff of App States Family Weekend, the event on Sanford Mall provided the opportunity for students to celebrate campus life and Mountaineer history with their families.

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App States Bell Ringers Society Class of 2021 members

Sep. 8, 2020

App States third annual Founders Day commemorates a 121-year history. Ceremonies include Bell Ringers Society induction and ribbon cutting ceremony for two new residence halls.

Learn the history of Appalachian State University, from its founding in 1899 as a rural academy to its growth into a destination of choice for high-achieving students.

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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History and tradition App State's 4th annual Founders Day celebration | Appalachian Today - Appalachian State University

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Centennial High School Bulldogs and the Central High School Wildcats will run onto the field at Dutch Clark Stadium on Friday night to the roars of crowds that have marked the occasion for decades in Pueblo.

And the football players competing in the 71st Bell Game have more than their win-loss record on the line.

Cars, houses, and even people are decorated in red and blue during Bell Week, either representing their school or simply showing support for the cross-town rivalry.

The match-up has been going on for more than a century in Pueblo, and it has a rich history.

The game, also known as the "One Hundred Year War," began in 1892, according to Pueblo School District 60. On Thanksgiving Day, the Wildcats and Bulldogs competed against each other for the first time at Minnequa Ball Park near Lake Minnequa.

The rivalry didn't officially become the Bell Game until 1950, when Lou Rhoads donated a bell from an old C&W Railway Engine to be used as a trophy.

For the past 71 years, the bell has been passed between the two schools, going through various iterations of blue and red paint. With it, generations upon generations of Wildcats and Bulldogs have attended the Bell Game and cheered. Many, finding themselves rooting for both teams at some point in their life.

Dave Craddock can provide insight from both sides. He's the current principal at Centennial, and he's also the former head football coach at Central.

The youngest of four boys, Craddock explained how he's been a Bell Game fan long before he walked onto the field as a Wildcat.

"I got to watch my older brothers playing it," said Craddock, "That rivalry, you just felt it. Even as an elementary, middle school kid, you felt it and you just couldn't wait. that's what you wanted to do, can't wait until it's my turn."

Craddock's father played for Centennial in 1949, and his grandfather from his mother's side played for Central. When he reached high school, he took the field as a Wildcat. After graduating, he returned as an assistant coach, then he eventually became the head coach at Central.

Central and Centennial were the two original Pueblo schools. Centennial came first, established in 1876. Central soon following.

His family connection to the Bell Game isn't unique -- Craddock pointed out many Pueblo families have ties to Central, Centennial, or even both schools.

"Roots run deep," explained Craddock. Even though the Pueblo area now has seven schools, he said almost everyone has connections to the Bell Game.

"It's not only our two school's history, it's really Pueblo's history," Craddock said.

During his time as a player, Craddock found a community through the Bell Game. As a coach, he's had the privilege of seeing his players and students grow up to have families and kids of their own playing in the game.

"I have friends that I went to school with, good friends, whose kids are in my school right now," said Craddock. "Because of these traditions, there's a lot of interlinking between families and you get the pleasure of educating and exposing friends, children, colleagues, or cousins eight times removed to this wonderful tradition."

When asked about his favorite Bell Game memory as a coach at Central, Craddock said there wasn't just a singular moment, that every single ball game he ever played, coached, or attended was special. He did share a few of his favorite memories:

While Pueblo is the size of a city, sometimes, it can feel like a small football town. During the Bell Game, alumni and current students fill Dutch Clark Stadium.

"We have Chili Fest, we have the state fair, we have all these cool things that are Pueblo events, and the Bell game is definitely one of them."

In the early 1900s, an alleged "brawl" between the opposing teams broke out after a game. Craddock admitted he knew about the folklore surrounding the incident.

"There was tension, obviously, and I think some rock-throwing might have been a part of it," Craddock said.

According to D60, in 1907 the Bell Game ended in a tie. That led to a "riot," which caused a nearly 15-year hiatus.

After the rivalry picked backed up, the Bell Game remained a major event in Pueblo. Now, the game is considered the longest and largest high school football rivalry west of the Mississippi.

"That's the beauty of this rivalry, it's founded in tradition but it continues to evolve."

Craddock believes the game has survived because of what it means to the community, and that the game represents the best of both schools.

"This sums up all the best things. Centennial High School and Central High School, and I'm just super proud to be a part of it."

The Bell Game has managed to last 121 years, surviving wars, Centennial moving locations, and a pandemic. However, the 120th Bell Game was a challenge for both schools.

In 2020, the Bell Game was scaled back for safety concerns. The district was only able to allow 175 fans from each team into the stadium, a fraction of the number of fans who usually attend.

"We have two classes that really don't know what to do during the week," explained Craddock. Due to COVID restrictions, all Bell Game festivities were significantly scaled back. "We have half of our population that really doesn't know how to celebrate Bell Week."

This year, Craddock and educators at Centennial and Central worked to reengage students. They wanted to get students excited about not just school again, but extracurricular activities they weren't able to participate in last year.

While it's been a struggle, Craddock said the students have definitely leaned into the excitement of Bell Week.

"The kids were cheering during lunches yesterday, doing spirit yells."

Win or lose, Craddock hopes the community always remembers the importance of this game goes beyond winning. Also, while they might seem like men, the players are still just high school students doing their best in a high-pressure situation.

For the players, the Bell Game lasts weeks: a week of mentally preparing for the game, the week of the game, and a week spent coming down from a win or accepting a loss.

"As I look back about how much it means still to the kids, I try to put my kid hat on. I watch it every day. I watched the kids get excited for this thing that started 121 years ago. And they probably don't have the background other than it's important to Central and Centennial," Craddock said.

He explained how easy it can be to take these kinds of celebrations for granted. Craddock believes it's the adult's responsibility to continue sharing the history of the Bell Game to the younger generations, to keep this rivalry going for years to come.

"This is our history, and us as adults, I hope we never take it for granted."

The 71st Bell Game and 121st year of the rivalry happens at 7 p.m. Friday at Dutch Clark Stadium.

For online tickets for Central's side, click here.

For online tickets for Centennial's side, click here.

The game will also be available to stream on both school's Facebook pages and the District 60 Facebook page.

Events / High School Sports / Local News / Pueblo / Sports / Sports / Video / VOSOTs

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Ringing Colors: A look at the Bell Game's history in Pueblo - KRDO

Peggy Flanagan never learned her own history and culture when she was growing up in St. Louis Park in the 1980s and 1990s.

When you dont see yourself reflected in your teachers or curriculum, there is an impact, she told Sahan Journal. To be really candid, it made me feel like I was invisible in my own classroom.

But soon, the old Eurocentric approach, with its absence of Indigenous voices, will be history. Under new proposed Minnesota social studies standards, kindergarteners will learn about Indigenous communities relationships to land and water; sixth-graders will study how the Anishinaabe and Dakota practice tribal rights today; and high school students will learn Indigenous perspectives on settlers westward expansion alongside the theory of manifest destiny. In addition to learning Indigenous perspectives on history, students will study contemporary Indigenous communities.

Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and Minnesotas lieutenant governor, has played an instrumental role in the campaign for more accurate Indigenous history in Minnesota schools. Its an integral piece of the larger push, years in the making, to diversify both the states teacher workforce and its curriculum. And this year, with Minnesota at the epicenter of a national racial reckoning, those efforts are bearing fruit.

In June, the Minnesota legislature tripled funding for programs to increase the states teachers of color. That legislation included an increase in funding for the Minnesota Indian Teacher Training Program, and greater flexibility so that more of those students can receive more college aid. When the ongoing social studies standards revision process concludes, Minnesota is poised to introduce ethnic studies as a core discipline statewide.

And through the Minnesota Department of Education operating budget, the state committed $1.3 million over two years for Indigenous education. Those operating budget funds will translate into curriculum resources and expert staff to help teachers and districts improve their lessons.

That sum includes:

The department also funded a full-time staff member to implement ethnic studies as part of the social studies standards.

Then, through American Rescue Plan funding, Governor Tim Walzs administration allocated $250,000 annually for tribal relations training for superintendents and charter school leaders. This professional development program aims to improve school leaders interactions with American Indian students and families, and better incorporate cultural perspectives into curriculum and family engagement activities.

Flanagan hopes these initiatives will help future generations of students see themselves and each other reflected in their schooling. Its a step forward, Flanagan told Sahan Journal, in making sure the full history of Minnesota is reflected in our schools, curriculum, and in our teaching workforce.

Ahead of Indigenous Peoples Day, Sahan Journal called Flanagan about the efforts to improve Indigenous education and ethnic studies for all Minnesota students.

The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

This policy came about because we had countless conversations with tribal leaders in Minnesota, and this was the number one thing that they asked for. Just to speak to that for a moment, as Native people oftentimes we have to start a conversation. Theres a 10 to 15 minute preamble: the history of Mni Sota Makoce, before Minnesota was Minnesota. The fact that we are still here and contemporary people.

And honestly, these are conversations that I had when I was in the legislature: that Native people are still here, that we still exist. And as you can imagine, that has implications for the kind of policies that are passed generally in the state and the kind of conversations that we can have. So I just wanted to name that as a thing thats important.

It is not lost on me that we need to do a better job preparing our teachers for the students who are in their classroom. I certainly get asked on the regular for students who are going into teaching at the college level, to talk to them about American Indian Studies and education.

I always recommend to students before I talk to them to read Boarding School Seasons by Dr. Brenda Child. That is a really important foundational text so that folks can understand if theres distrust between Native families and public schools, theres a reason for that. School is not a safe place for folks. For our family its one generation removed.

Thats where the new tribal relations training for school leaders is really critical. Being able to build that out and offer that to more districts and educators I think will help, and to also create space where folks can say I dont know. Googling something is not always the best option. We can give real resources to teachers across the state.

I certainly hope so. And thats why these policies are so important. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Native folks have the most distrust of the educational system when our children were literally stolen out of the arms of their parents and placed in boarding schools. We are just finally having public conversations about the impact of boarding schools on just every aspect of how we exist in this world. Its deep and its traumatic. And as I mentioned, thats one generation removed for my family. Its so recent.

My first job out of college was to help to bridge that gap between home and school for Native kids and their families, and it continues to be part of my vocation.

Growing up, I was one of a handful of Native students in St. Louis Park. Fortunately for my daughter, that has changed tremendously, and there are so many more Native students in her school and in her classroom. But the history of my family and our culture wasnt represented in our curriculum or in our lessons.

When you dont see yourself reflected in your teachers or curriculum, there is an impact. There is an emotional impact. To be really candid, it made me feel like I was invisible in my own classroom.

When you dont see yourself reflected in your teachers or curriculum, there is an impact. There is an emotional impact. To be really candid, it made me feel like I was invisible in my own classroom.

It wasnt until I got to the University of Minnesota and was a sophomore that I walked into the classroom and saw a teacher, Dr. Brenda Child, who looked like me, and who was teaching about Ojibwe culture and history. Who we are as Indigenous people historically, but also who we are as contemporary people. That changed everything for me. And you shouldnt have to wait until youre 19 years old to really feel like youre getting a robust educational experience.

That is what we are working to change so that pre-K students through 12 really get the full picture of who we are.

I think that will change. I think making sure that our Black, Indigenous, and students of color see themselves reflected in their curriculum, and that it is taught in a way that also makes them feel valued, is a game changer. I think many of us just know that instinctually.

But now we have the data and we can work to change it. Making sure curriculum reflects the students in the classroom. That teachers are prepared to teach about it. And that our teachers reflect the students in their classroom and have a deep knowledge and understanding of the backgrounds of the students in that classroom.

As we are approaching Indigenous Peoples Day, this is yet again an opportunity for us to recommit to telling our young people the truth, because they can handle it, and they deserve to know it.

As a recovering school board member, these are some of the same conversations that we were having many years ago and have been building on. As we are approaching Indigenous Peoples Day, this is yet again an opportunity for us to recommit to telling our young people the truth, because they can handle it, and they deserve to know it.

Simply, it is who we are as Minnesotans and we shouldnt shy away from that.

Knowing the history of Mni Sota Makoce is incredibly important for all students. We are on the traditional homelands of Dakota and Anishnaabe people, and we have always been here. Were still here and well continue to be here into the future. Thats important for folks to know. And I think its an opportunity for people of color and Indigenous folks to also have their voices heard, because for a very long time we have heard one perspective on our culture and history in this country.

As were approaching Indigenous Peoples Day on the 11th, it is up to all of us to tell the full true history of our state so that our Indigenous children, including my own daughter, across Minnesota can grow up in a society where theyre seen, heard and valued. All students in Minnesota will benefit from that.

Read more from the original source:

Peggy Flanagan hails $1.3 million investment to teach K12 students the full true history of Minnesotas Indigenous people. - Sahan Journal

Lisa DeVille

Mandaree

It is great news that Fort Berthold Reservation is proposed to receive a new subdistrict (District 4a). This change will help to ensure that representation comes from Fort Berthold reservation. With the Native American population outpacing all other groups in North Dakota, this just makes sense. That being said, it is unfortunate that the ND redistricting committee did not give the same subdistrict structure to the legislative districts containing Standing Rock reservation and Spirit Lake reservation.

While growing up in Mandaree I always wondered about our governments and why there is no Native American representation in all forms of North Dakota government. To discuss the importance of Native American representation, I gave a public comment to the ND redistricting committee on the morning of September 29, 2021. In my testimony I discussed the importance of having a Native American person from Fort Berthold representing Fort Berthold reservation in the legislature. Having a Native American person representing Fort Berthold will inspire the next generation of indigenous leaders on Fort Berthold reservation to commit to public service. Creating District 4a is a step towards that goal. I would like to thank the ND redistricting committee for adding District 4a, but also ask that the legislature approve a new map that also provides the subdistrict structure to other reservation communities like Spirit Lake reservation and Standing Rock reservation. North Dakotas Native American tribes need to be at the table and we need fair representation in North Dakota.

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Making History in the Process, North Dakota Redistricting - Minot Daily News

Culture is amorphous; it isnt immutable. Somehow, the borderland descendants accepted the polio vaccine in the 1950s. Somehow, the Puritan state of Massachusetts opposed Prohibition led by a generation of Irish Catholic politicians (but banned Happy Hour during a spate of drunk-driving accidents in 1983). Fischer writes of the Scots-Irish: The people of the Southern hill country region were intensely resistant to change and suspicious of foreigners. In the early 20th century, they would become intensely negrophobic and antisemitic.

But how does one prove such an assertion? The only way is through the meticulous accumulation of detail. Over nearly a thousand pages, Fischer describes 22 different patterns of behavior or folkways for each of the four cultures from dress and cooking, to marriage and child-rearing, to governance and criminal justice. These culminate in four distinctive definitions of liberty. Freedom, he writes, has never been a single idea, but a set of different and even contrary traditions in creative tension with each other.

Here is the nub of the book: The Puritan, Cavalier, Quaker and Scots-Irish notions of liberty were radically different, but each provided an essential strain of the American idea. The Puritans practiced an ordered freedom with the state parceling out liberties: Fishing licenses allowed the freedom to fish. This was a concept that would seem laughable in the Southern hill country and would predict our current struggle over gun control. Puritan order also predicted two of Franklin D. Roosevelts Four Freedoms: The state provided freedom from want and freedom from fear that is, freedom maintained by government regulation.

The Scots-Irish were the opposite: Their sense of natural freedom was deeply libertarian. You moved to the backcountry so that you could do what you wanted within, of course, the ethos of the border culture. Natural liberty was not a reciprocal idea. It did not recognize the right of dissent or disagreement, Fischer writes. Scots-Irish leaders were charismatic Andrew Jackson was the paragon and their religion was evangelical, illiterate emotionalism, an aristocratic governor of South Carolina sniffed. Honor was valor, a physical trait (among the Puritans and Quakers, honor was spiritual). The American military tradition, and a disproportionate number of its soldiers, emerged from the descendants of Scots-Irish warriors in the Appalachian highlands.

The Virginia definition of freedom was complex, contradictory and remains problematic. It was hierarchical, the freedom to be unequal. I am an aristocrat, John Randolph of Roanoke said. I love liberty; I hate equality. Freedom was defined by what it wasnt. It wasnt slavery. It was the freedom to enslave. It was a freedom, granted to the plantation masters, to indulge themselves, gamble and debauch. How is it, Fischer quotes Samuel Johnson, that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of Negroes? And yet, it was Virginia aristocrats, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who concocted our founding documents. Over time, this plutocratic libertarianism found natural allies, if strange bedfellows, in the fiercely egalitarian Scots-Irish hill country folk. Neither wanted to be ruled by a strong central government. Look at the Covid maps: The regional alliance remains to this day.

More here:

Joe Klein Explains How the History of Four Centuries Ago Still Shapes American Culture and Politics - The New York Times

A decade before Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, a tiny team of renegades imagined and tried to build the modern smartphone. Nearly forgotten by history, a little startup called Handspring tried to make the future before it was ready. In Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone, The Verges Dieter Bohn talks to the visionaries at Handspring and dives into their early successes and eventual failures.

Its a half-hour-long documentary featuring the key players at Palm and Handspring: Donna Dubinsky, Jeff Hawkins, Ed Colligan, and more. Its one of our most ambitious video projects to date, and we cant wait to show it to you.

Handspring may no longer be a household name, but it was briefly one of the fastest growing businesses in American history, selling Visor personal digital assistants. But the company had bigger aspirations: it saw a mobile future and took the first steps toward what would become the modern smartphone even as it faced skepticism from the entire industry.

The dream of the Handspring Treo turned out to be too far ahead of its time before either the technology inside smartphones or the industry that sold them was ready for it. And a number of bad internal decisions and outside disasters would stall Handspring long enough that Apple would go on to do what Handspring couldnt.

Springboard is also a look at an earlier time in tech when the dot com bubble was bursting, but big tech hadnt coalesced into five or six titanic monoliths. It was a time when many futures seemed possible, even one where a tiny startup could win the coming smartphone wars.

Springboard premieres first on Monday, October 25th, on The Verges new app on TV streaming devices: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV (Apple TV coming soon). Look for The Verge app on your streaming device or learn how to download here.

If you want to be the very first to see it, Springboard will also be screening in New York City on Saturday, October 23rd, and well do a live Q&A session right after. We hope you can make it! You can get tickets here.

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Announcing Springboard: The Verges documentary on the forgotten history of the Treo - The Verge