
- Details
- By Neely Bardwell
Earlier this month, Native News Online’s publisher and editor Levi Rickert interviewed Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, the president of the American Indian College Fund for an episode of Native Bidaské.
The American Indian College Fund is the nation’s largest and highest rated affinity group providing scholarships to Native Americans, providing more scholarships to Native students than any other organization. Crazy Bull joined the Bidaské to discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling in the cases Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College on affirmative action.
“One of the things that the case made many of us who are in Native higher education realize is that there is not a lot of information about the impact of race conscious admissions on American Indian and Alaska Native students,” she told RIckert.
When it comes to defining Native identities, Crazy Bull explains that being Native is more than just a race, it’s a political identity because we belong to sovereign nations. When higher education institutions use race as part of their admissions criteria, a gray area is created that Native students don’t quite fit in.
“We call for institutions to both recognize our citizenship, recognize our membership as sovereign nations, and also recognize that there are inequities that are rooted in what our race interpretations are,” said Crazy Bull.
She believes it is the role of the institutions to ensure that they are creating a climate where all students feel like they belong in order to increase the participation of Indigenous students in higher education.
“‘What are you going to do as an institution already not serving Indigenous people? This is really an opportunity to examine that and the shift in how you might support Native students.”
Crazy Bull has a lifelong history of being an educator and a community activist, using the philosophy and traditions of Native people as the backbone of her activism.
Watch the Bidaské here.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
NEXT ON NATIVE BIDASKÉ: What if your tribe erased you?
Deb Haaland Meets with Taos Acequia Leaders to Discuss Water Rights and Agricultural Preservation
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher