North Seattle, Washington- On April
16-18, 2013, the Wilson-Pacific School held their Seattle Clear
Sky 3rd annual Native Youth Conference. Keynote speakers, storytellers, musicians, teachers and artists will offer three days of indigenous knowledge, education and culture in an effort to foster unconditional support for all children in
need of guidance, direction and creative freedom. This year’s theme, “The Good
Road of Life,” acknowledges the strengths and achievements of our city’s youth.
As the home of the American Indian Heritage Middle College High School, the event at the Wilson-Pacific campus in North Seattle also serves as the
perfect rally point to inform the community about Seattle Public Schools’
decision to demolish the historic building. What is at stake is the loss of a
40-year-old legacy of tribal continuity, athleticism, indigenous-based higher
learning and the destruction of works by Native American mural artist Andrew
Morrison.
Native
Education has Little or No Support from Seattle School Board
Prior to the proposed $695 million dollar Capital
Levy (Proposition 2), which passed in February 2013, the Native American
community has been calling for justice. While supposedly aiming to improve the
educational future of our children, this Seattle Public Schools levy actually threatens
Native American academic support services by cutting the Indian Heritage
Program at Wilson-Pacific.
With just nine months in as Superintendent of
Seattle Public Schools, Jose Banda has determined that making moderate
structural improvements to the aging building is not a worthwhile investment. Additionally,
the school board members argue that since there are fewer Native American
children in attendance, the building should be demolished to make way for a newer
facility that suits the demands of the 21st century. To Banda, the
decision may appear to be a viable upgrade, but to North Seattle residents and community supporters it desecrates the values of Wilson-Pacific and American Indian heritage.
On July 3, 2012, newly appointed as Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, Jose Banda found himself at his first board meeting at the Seattle Public Schools John Stanford Center. While there, he was confronted by parents and teachers, including the Seattle Clear Sky Native Youth Council, who were ready to speak their concerns about the Capitol Levy issue and the Indian Heritage program at Wilson-Pacific. Banda addressed his first agenda item in the meeting: Demolition of the Wilson-Pacific building and relocation of the students, teachers and staff to the Middle College High School at Northgate Mall, which resides above the Express Store (a transient center) near Macy’s.
According to the Seattle Public Schools website, "Banda, who has served as Anaheim City Schools
Superintendent for the past four years, was chosen following a national search
for a superintendent who exhibited the desired characteristics and traits
defined by the community, including: a visionary, inspirational leader; an
instructional leader who has a proven track record; a knowledgeable manager and
an effective communicator.”
But many parents weren't pleased with Banda’s discourse.
What really sat negatively with people was that he never met with any
affiliates of Wilson-Pacific nor did he visit the site for himself. “The fact
that not one public school official approached me or called me or emailed me or
consulted any other’s about this building to decide if demolishing should
happen says everything about the mentality they’re in,” says local mural artist
Andrew Morrison. “Jose Banda has never volunteered at the Indian Heritage
Program, his children never grew up in Seattle Public Schools, he never knew
Bob Eaglestaff and so, in no way shape or form, can any public official say
that Jose Banda’s in harmony with our customs! That goes with a number of
others who are in tandem with his beliefs.”
Not
Feeling Defeated
Chris Jackins, co-chair of Seattle Committee to Save Schools, is a Ballard resident who
has seen this scenario play out too many times. Jackins, who graduated from
Ballard High School in the 1990's, remembers how he and a few fellow students
found themselves on the frontlines to save their high school from being
demolished after Seattle Public Schools passed a $6.9 million levy to fix it
up. In time, the district had cost overruns in other projects and the monies
never made it back to facilitate improvements at Ballard High School. The
school board claimed that it was too old and unsafe and needed to be taken
down.
Despite gathering more than 1,000 signatures, with
constant appearances to school board meetings and an outpouring of community
support, the school was torn down. “This tear-down made a big impression on a
lot of people,” Jackins said. “A woman I went to kindergarten with went to
Ballard High and her grandmother was the first graduating class, walking the
same stairs her grandmother had. When she was aware of this, she was saddened
and said, ‘No, they’re not going to tear down the building!’ and of course, it
happened.”
Jackins believes the school district should really
invest in people where they’re at and go from there. "My objection isn't necessarily that you can’t run a school that’s large and make it work. My
feeling is that when you open these huge schools, it’s very deliberate and a
cheaper way to run the school by closing other nearby schools and moving them
into that one,” Jackins says. “So when the district entertains the thought, they’re
doing a wonderful thing for all people and going back to a neighborhood system.
Well, they’re not. They've now displaced thousands who are unprepared to meet
the demands of a different school philosophy, and in the end, they will
radically change the performance of how children learn and how school teachers
teach.”
When asked what big impacts would get in the way to
stop a demolition from taking place, Jackins replied, “Money seems to be the
driving force behind the Indian Heritage issue. But I don’t believe these awful
things need to happen. They certainly have all the intentions to bulldoze it
all. But until it happens … to be honest, the school district doesn't always
win.”
Sarah Sense-Wilson, an Oglala Sioux who was born and
raised in Seattle, started her journey at Indian Heritage in 1995-96 as a
basketball coach and has since filled up her time in other capacities at the
school. Coordinator for the Clear Sky Youth Council, she was elected Chairwoman
for the Urban Native Education Alliance (UNEA), an organization that empowers
and bridges cultural and traditional knowledge with support services for urban
Native youth.
“All of us at Indian Heritage have been opposed to
this scheduled demolition from the beginning. If you look at the dark hours of
our country and the ongoing plight of our people, we recognize historically in
being a marginalized population where this issue is a continued attack from our
past. I see this as an act of cultural genocide,” says Wilson, speaking with
both pride in her work and frustration about the issue at hand. “To not gather
and help our future generations come up from our program will disrupt the cultural
continuity of these children and our peoples.”
Native
Artist Fights to Save His Murals from Those Wanting to Erase His Name
The demolition will also destroy the historic murals of
local Native artist, Andrew Morrison (Haida/Apache). Murals are a significant
part of many cultures around the globe, but their power is of particular
importance to individuals whose ancestors experienced that visual statement. Since 2001, Morrison's murals, which grace the American Indian Heritage Middle College High School/Wilson Pacific campus, have paid homage to communities past, present and future of the Pacific Northwest. Considered an important community resource, Morrison's murals highlight
iconic figures, such as Chief Joseph and Chief Seattle, as well as depict important events that have affected the Native community in Seattle.
Morrison is a board member of Urban Native Education
Alliance. His murals and a collection of artistic works have been featured at
universities, powwows and festivals, ranging from Alaska to the Southwest. Morrison
has acquired an abundance of awards and commissions during his 18-year
professional career, but more significantly, he has captured the hearts of his
peers and elders, who in turn champion his work.
“The reason I have lasted this long creatively is
community support – the art community, and more in the Native community,”
Morrison explains with gratitude. “The community says my murals touch their lives
and make them feel at ease and calm. Some people look at my artwork and say when
they wake up in the morning that it makes their day a little brighter.”
When Morrison completed the Mural of Chief Seattle
in 2002, King 5’s Evening Magazine featured
an interest piece on his life and artistry. On the following day of the
unveiling, one public official who elevated the spirits at Wilson-Pacific was Mayor
Greg Nickels. “That was the one time I ever met him and he was so
inspired, respectful and very sincere about my work,” Morrison recalls. “It was
great. He stuck around for an hour; he wasn't rushed and congratulated me. The mural in height was 25-feet tall and
Nickels spoke from a sincere place by saying, 'Thank you for doing the largest
commemoration of our founding forefather and namesake.’ He stood there
during the unveiling and spoke from the heart about Chief Seattle. It was the
greatest day of my life.”
Now, with Seattle Public Schools' scheduled demolition, Morrison is fighting to save his life's work, which has transformed the community of North Seattle into one of the most visited destinations in the Pacific Northwest. On February 25th, 2013, the cover of the Seattle Times featured Morrison poised in front of his mural of Chief Joseph with the blaring headline, "Beloved Native American Murals at Wilson-Pacific May Disappear."
Morrison takes issue with how Seattle Public Schools is working with him and the Wilson-Pacific community to identify ways to preserve the murals if the school is replaced. It isn't uncommon for works of art to be taken down or rerouted for public display. In fact, with a healthy intention of community involvement, with the artists approval in tow, the transition can benefit many. What's disturbing Morrison is that he is now facing scrutiny from Seattle Public School officials of a unanimous decision to have all of his murals digitally reproduced and relocated without his consent.
"The reason I've excluded myself from public officials who I thought had the best interests on this issue in the last six months is because they've blatantly lied to my face about the preservation of my murals," Morrison explains. "Where they're now going, is through an avenue of slander and defamation of character, and all of a sudden I look like a disgruntled artist. First of all, to digitally reproduce my work is a joke! And the February article everyone has read makes it seem like I'm eliminating myself from protecting my work, when they have bullied me out of protecting my work."
In the end, North Seattle residents and those who
are involved with the American Indian Heritage Middle College High School program at Wilson-Pacific are bracing for radical changes
in the months to come. “The hook, line and sinker of this story coming out and
my voice being heard is that the district and Seattle Public Schools officials who
have wrecked the fabric of our community underestimate me, my knowledge and my
common sense and my subject matter,” Morrison says. “Believing that squatters
are in the parking lot and thinking the place is vacant, believing that the
Indians left, believing that there’s no kids there anymore, believing I’m a
primitive person, believing that I have this rebel nature, believing I’m this
vindictive angry person, when they have ignited the wick for us to panic. And
out of all of this madness, not once have I spun out of control and showed them
any hostility or disrespect. I am an artist. I let my work speak for itself.”
© 2013 Ramon Shiloh
