Debbie Reese (tribally enrolled, Nambé Pueblo)
@debreese
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Tewa Name: P'oesay P'oekwîn. Founder: American Indians in Children's Literature. PhD Education. ALA's 2019 Arbuthnot Lecturer. she/her.
My homelands: Nambé Owingeh
Joined January 2009
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Every year, Native parents share photos of these "naming" projects they are asked to do.
Teachers: stop doing this. It trivializes something of tremendous significance to Native families and communities. It isn't cute. It isn't educational.
IT IS WRONG.
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You may have seen posts about Three Sisters that use past tense. See the edits to this one? Pls consider interrupting content with past tense.
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I AM AN INDIGENOUS WOMAN, EVERY DAY.
RESPECT US. EVERY DAY.
USE THIS DAY TO BUY CHILDREN'S AND YA BOOKS BY INDIGENOUS WRITERS.
READ THEM TO KIDS, ALL YEAR LONG.
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1) If you follow me, I assume you want to revisit what you were taught about Native peoples. That includes taking a critical look at ways we're depicted in children's books. It may include rejecting favorites and reaching for ones that actually help your child know who we are!
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Judge dismisses Kentucky teen's lawsuit from viral encounter
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Tomorrow is Indigenous Peoples' Day.
I guess you know that the letter I in BIPOC is for Indigenous.
It is crucial you also know that we are hundreds of nations with unique cultures.
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1) The Indigenous Peoples March, yesterday in DC, ended at the Lincoln Memorial. I wasn't able to attend but did watch livestreams, and videos, etc.
A dreadful moment happened there, at the Lincoln Memorial.
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Teachers/librarians: I do professional development on selecting/using children's/young adult bks with Native content.
There are so many authentic/accurate books with Native content that you can use in your classrooms! Letting go of classics is hard, but necessary.
Let me help.
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1) Dear
#Parents
of kids in elem schools:
I'm not tagging your account or your school's account, but a lot of schools do biased and racist and educationally WRONG activities to "teach" kids about "the First Thanksgiving" and they share photos of the activities on social media.
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2021 is the year a book by a Native writer and illustrator won the Caldecott Medal. It is a milestone that marks progress in children's literature. That book? WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goode. Read it!
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Buy art for your wall or jewelry for your body that is created by Native people, but do this, too:
Buy children's and young adult books created by Native people! They tell damn good stories, AND, they interrupt the stereotyping and bias that is pervasive in children's bks.
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1) October 12th is Indigenous Peoples' Day!
Start planning now, to give friends, students, and family members accurate information about who we are!
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1) This photo is from an online page
@studiesweekly
created. If your district uses materials Studies Weekly creates, children are being mis-educated.
I'll do a brief analysis in this thread. This is only one item in a pages-long unit that is full of errors and bias.
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1) More and more I am seeing people in the US talk about doing a Land Acknowledgement at their meeting, conference, or event.
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Michaela Goade is the first Native writer or illustrator to win either a Caldecott or Newbery. Native people everywhere are delighted!
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New Mexico: The first state to send a delegation to the US House of Representatives made up entirely of Native and Women of Color.
Candidates broke barriers in several races in the US election, including in New Mexico, the first state to send a delegation to the US House of Representatives made up entirely of women of color
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1) Teachers and librarians: some of you are going to do a lesson or program specific to Native Americans this month.... but the Native kids in your schools are Native 365 days of the year.
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Are you planning to use books about Native people in November (usually declared as Native Heritage month)?
If the answer is yes, please select ones by Native writers. With those books, you can push back on so many misconceptions!
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1) Dear
@read_tribe
: Your use of the word "tribe" will probably appeal to many but as a Native woman of a sovereign nation, your use of it means you will not have my support for an otherwise great idea.
I see all kinds of problems evolving from your use of "tribe."
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A request: when you see somebody sharing books for Native American month and they include ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS, can you say "Hey, not that one" to that person? Can you step up and help us interrupt misrepresentations of Native people?
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Is there a Native Barbie in the Barbie movie?
Or was the only Native representation that line about smallpox?
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#IStandWithCourtney
because she pushes against misrepresentation in romance novels. This morning as I read about this action RWA took against her, I'm reminded of some of the misrepresentations of Native ppls in bks in the genre.
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Pre-order a copy of the young adult adaptation of AN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES that
@JeanMendoza2016
and I spent the last 2 yrs working on.
We worked hard to make it relevant. Like, we have info warning students abt DNA testing...
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Looking for non-fiction bks for children/teens, written by Native people, about Native people?
Take a look at the list at American Indians in Children's Literature! (And please RT/share the list.)
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A conversation is taking place on Twitter, where some teachers are asking other teachers not to use "tribe" to describe their classrooms of students.
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Doing some short videos about our adaptation of AN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE... Might hit delete in a minute, but here it is, for now!
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This time of year wears me out. I'm flooded with emails from people who want me to recommend books about Thanksgiving that don't stereotype Native people.
I get that request but...
Did they wonder about us in the other 11 months of the year?
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6) A look at their facebook page indicates that content doesn't exist anymore. My guess is that admin is meeting to figure out how to respond to this.
BUT -- this is one school, one place. We know this sort of behavior is everywhere.
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5) There was no physical violence, but there is no denying the emotional cost and harm to everyone--including those young people. They thought they were cool but they were not. The school twitter account is locked (set to private).
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Teachers: please stop activities where kids pick Indian names, or their spirit animals, or where they make totem poles...
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Parents, Teachers, and Librarians!
You can now put a book on your shelves that is about the Trail of Tears and is written by a Cherokee writer!
#TrailOfTears
in
#CherokeeVoice
. That is outstanding! It is beyond
#OwnVoices
in a way that is necessary.
@diversebooks
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1. I could use some RT's of this thread to
@amightygirl
. Their list of "40 children's books celebrating Native American and Indigenous Mighty Girls" has some absolutely horrible books on it.
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1) Hmm.
In 1935, Wilder wrote "there were no people. Only Indians lived there." To many people, the Ingalls family is seen as courageous pioneers, moving out onto the frontier.
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This is the first year that the American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Awards will be announced at ALA along with the Caldecott, Newbery and all the other awards. Here's the committee!
#ALAyma
#NativeTwitter
#IndigenousTwitter
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Does your library denigrate Native creation stories by calling them "folklore" or "legends" and shelving them that way? If yes, what can you do about it? What WILL you do about it?
One option: recatalog all Bible stories as folklore or legends.
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My guess: most people can name one Native author, partly because their book is on just about every banned book graphic they see.
Fact: there' s a recent surge of excellent bks by Native writers and they're getting challenged and banned.
Read these books! Share them!
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2) It is terrific when corporations with high visibility (and therefore power) do right by Native and non-Native children. One example:
@nickjr
. Take a look at this! Great books that I hope you'll buy and ask for at the library.
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with your kids! Check out these books that you and your kids can read together to learn and celebrate Native American Heritage all month long
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Far too many children's books have stereotypical imagery of Asian peoples. Don't defend them. Don't use them.
They dehumanize, and they make it possible for hate crimes and violence to occur.
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3) The boys taunt, chant, and some are doing a tomahawk chop and are singing the tune that goes along with it. Some are wearing shirts that indicate they are there for the pro life march that also took place in DC yesterday. Some wear shirts from Covington Catholic School in KY.
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In selecting books for children and young adults, many people default to things they read when they were kids themselves. Even after decades of terrific bks by Native and POC, the body of what gets recommended is still very white. Many of those defaulted-to bks are racist.
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Parents, teachers, and librarians looking for Native Nonfiction? We are starting a list. Take a look, and please RT.
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14) I am seeing people (including Karen Tumulty of the Wa Post) suggesting these boys go on a service project to a reservation.
In theory, that might work for some, but why do that to Native kids, families?!
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Made this mask several weeks ago using a men’s necktie. I wear masks. Do you?
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For now, I've added "Dr." to my Twitter name. I have a research doctorate from the University of Illinois (a "Research I" university). I don't use that title much. Some ppl like to discredit my work as an "opinion" but my work is based on yrs of research and experience.
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See that? AN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' HISTORY OF THE US FOR YOUNG PEOPLE is on SLJ's Best Nonfiction of 2019 list!
.
@sljournal
announces best nonfiction of 2019
Congrats
@kwamealexander
@halseanderson
@AnnBausum
@MichaelBronski
@SteveSheinkin
@AnikaDenise
@margaritapoet
@jjhoutman
@bwittbooks
@_andreawarren
@MalalaYousafaz1
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#Homeschooling
families: thank you for asking for guides to use with An Indigenous Peoples' History of the US for Young People.
The materials created by Dr. Natalie Martinez (Laguna) are excellent! Pls share in your networks.
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I wrote this for the Guardian: Renaming the Laura Ingalls Wilder award isn't disturbing, William Shatner – it's necessary
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Some great books by Native writers.
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The problem w November's designation as Native Am month is that it gets associated with Thanksgiving.
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It is important to recognize people like McCain, but doing it with care is important. Making him into an unflawed hero erases the harms he has done to Indigenous peoples.
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If you're not Native....
1) but want to write characters or stories about us, or
2) you've already written characters or stories about us, or
3) edit materials about Native ppl, or
4) review materials about us...
READ THIS AND SHARE IT IN YOUR NETWORKS.
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I hope that ppl objecting to racist Halloween costumes will carry that objection forward to thanksgiving re-enactments and venues with racist mascots.
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1) Dear White Writers: I see you're out and about complaining that Native and Writers of Color are taking up slots that you want for your books. That's just not true. See?
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These disgusting worksheet activities aren't hard to find. Here's one from
@TpT_Official
.
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trump uses "the beauty of God's creation" to refer to Native lands in Utah. People cheer as he says he will "restore" that land to its "citizens." Erasure. Genocide. He and those ppl make me sick.
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2) In the videos, an elder is shown singing, playing his hand drum. There is another man with him, also singing, also with a hand drum.
All around then are high school boys in MAGA hats.
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We are eight days into November, which is "Native American Heritage Month." How many images of Native people have you seen, that are real--not stereotypical--and set in the present day?
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In the rest of this thread, I will share some books I recommend--by Native writers with no clouds over their identity.
Get them and use them every day of the year. Respect us, every day. Don't confine our writers to a certain day or time of the year.
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Looking for graphic novels by Native writers? I started a list. Tweet me others, and I'll add them and credit you.
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4) These activities are horrendous for Native kids.
They may have a name given to them in a ceremony specific to their nation.
Teacher's asking them to "pick an Indian name" is such a violation of their spiritual traditions that are every bit as sacred as yours.
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Got my first COVID vaccination.
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This is not an isolated incident. When it happens in a space you are in, you must step up.
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1) Please study and share the infographic with statistical info on bks by/abt American Indian/First Nations, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander/Asian Pacific American, and African/African Americans. I'm following responses to it and...
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8) First news coverage of what happened:
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1) Powerful infographic. Important to know these stats, but know, too, that many of the bks are deeply problematic. Mirrors are distorted.
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4) There are cheers when one of the teens steps right up to the Native elder, within inches of his face, and stands right there for the duration of the man's song.
Videos are starting to circulate. Perhaps there will be a news story about it.
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A terrific must-have book comes out today!
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9) A northern KY newspaper has a story up, too:
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If anybody wants to talk about my work, do it with me. Do it here, or on FB or submit a comment to my blog. Do not ask Native writers to respond to YOUR concerns about my work. What do you expect a writer to say?!
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Pleased to share some news about my daughter:
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I'm trying to rest my weary eyes but can't stop thinking about this day, this historic day, when the names of Native writers were said aloud today at the ALA Youth Media Literature Awards Ceremony!
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Did you know that
@TeachingBooks
has a terrific page where you can listen to writers pronounce their names, and tell you something about those names?
#Teachers
, especially, take a look! Here's mine:
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Such wonderful books! By Native writers and illustrators! Does your school have them yet?
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Donald Trump is racist.
He told you so, himself.
But you voted for him, anyway.
You didn't think he would be racist in office.
You see, now? He's racist.
Don't vote for him again.
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The first week of January 2020:
White people insisting that Salish people went barefoot. Their evidence: old anthro/ethno docs.
And as they assert their evidence, they bash actual Native people.
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One of the most depressing things I see from friends and colleagues: uncritical support for Warren.
An ask: please couple your support for her with requests that she speak about claims to Native identity.
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6) Shatner said "indigenous people of America" in his tweet. That's a typical error. The Ingalls family was squatting on land that belonged to an Indigenous nation. Indigenous people weren't "of America" -- they were (and are) people of their own Indigenous nations.
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Every day, every library:
A white child will find bks that have white characters. It is the default. They can take that reality for granted.
Rarely: Native/Children of Color find a bk that has a character similar to them. We cheer, tear up...
I want the default.
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I don't usually do
#ThrowbackThursday
but... I think I'm burned out. So I'm looking at photos. Me, 1965 or thereabouts.
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"Believe Women" they say.
Except, apparently, when it is Native women.
WTF? Why are so many non-Native people saying "due process" and "alleged" instead of "Believe Women."
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FACT: The DNA databases have very little DNA from Indigenous ppl in the US.
Past exploitation has made us cautious. We don't participate in the projects to gather DNA.
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My thoughts on doing Land Acknowledgements:
In short: Pair them with an action someone can do right away.
Don't recite them or script them. Done that way, they are empty tokens.
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Made my own 'Read' poster, using my language instead of English.
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This is terrific! Naomi is at ALA and so far, she has picked up six books by Native writers!
#Librarians
! You must order them and promote them in your library--year round.
#Teachers
! You must read them aloud and tell your students about them!
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15) Native responses to Tumulty's tweet are NO.
Many of us have had to make room for people who have done that. Speaking from experience, it is a horrific plan.
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Please RT:
Yesterday, American Indians in Children's Literature published "Tips for Teachers: Developing Instructional Materials about American Indians." Please share with parents, teachers, librarians.
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18) What will you (teachers) do, the next time you are with your students? Will you talk about this?
How will this racist incident (a mild word for what happened) impact your teaching? How will you change your instruction, your lesson plans?
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9) If your child comes home with this nonsense, talk to their teacher. Whether you speak calmly or with fury, speak up!
And teachers/school admin: if you are approached by a parent about this, don't defend the activity. Apologize to that parent AND in public, too.
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3) It isn't cute. One day, your kid might ask you why you let that happen.
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I strive to
#DisruptTexts
every day, and invite you to read my critiques of classics (like LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE), and to read the work done by the
#DisruptTexts
team.
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3) All the books they recommend are ones I've recommended at American Indians in Children's Literature. If you want more books (at various grade levels) you can start here:
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Two tribally enrolled women made history today!
@CaroleLindstrom
(Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) and
@MichaelaGoade
(Tlingit, member of the Kiks.ådi Clan) won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS.
@IndianCountry
@indianz
@SmithsonianNMAI
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If you use my work in anything you write, or in professional development, do the right thing: cite me.
Not citing me is theft of intellectual property of an Indigenous Woman.
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Spending nearly every day, 5 hrs/day for over two years turning out An Indigenous Peoples' History of the US for Young People was painful, emotionally and intellectually.
Going thru such pain can't be justified, but I am glad nonetheless to see the bk on Best of 2019 lists.
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