Civic Engagement:
Halifax County Leadership Equity Project
HELP seeks to create environments where differences are recognized, understood, appreciated and leveraged for equitable benefit of all members of a system or group and where all can perform to their full potential. The project is sponsored by VISIONS Inc. and many Halifax Community Partners and is funded by Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and Kellogg Foundation. It supports the belief that multicultural organizations and communities can be created and nurtured by eliminating racism, sexism, ageism, classism, heterosexism, anti-semitism, adultism, ableism, violence, and other forms of power imbalances and internalized oppression. I became involved with HELP approximately 5 years ago as an equity trainer. Along with Senator Angela Bryant and the other equity trainers, I conduct leadership equity learning and action sessions across the county to support policies and initiatives that will create equity and successful outcomes for ALL communities and groups within the county. Click on these links to read an article on the HELP’s 2014 Teen Summit and watch a commemorative video of its events. More information about this project can be found on its facebook page.
North Carolina Native American Youth Organization
NCNAYO is an organization that serves to unite the Indian Youth of North Carolina and assist them in becoming leaders of tomorrow. An emphasis is placed emphasis on broadening the knowledge of Indian heritage and cultural enrichment, establishing self-help and self-development learning techniques, and acting as an advocate for Indian youth and youth rights. In high school, I became a NCNAYO student president and representative that assisted the advisory committee for planning educational talent search program activities and its annual statewide conference for American Indian Youth. I continues to attend the NCNAYO conferences throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies, serving as a workshop presenter. Workshop topics in the past have included American Indian powwow etiquette, traditional arts and crafts, college life and academic success, application for the GATES millennium Scholarship, and contemporary issues/youth rap session.
American Indian Unity Conference
The American Indian Unity Conference is hosted by the United Tribes of North Carolina in coordination with NC Commission of Indian Affairs. American Indians from all across the state come together to discussion issues and concerns that affect their population, while simultaneously promoting their presence in the political, academic, and health arenas. Workshop topics often address the needs of healthy housing, educational material designed specifically for American Indian students, economic self-sufficiency, and maintenance of cultural and spiritual traditions. I began attending these conferences as a child and later began to be placed in leadership positions. In the past I have coordinated the conference’s workshops and served as Miss Indian North Carolina (MINC). As part of the my MINC responsibilities, I served as an ambassador for all 100,000+ American Indians living in NC, speaking in various political and cultural settings. At this year’s Unity Conference, I co-presented a workshop and conducted a health needs assessment questionnaire surrounding Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on the American Indian population.
Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School
HSTS is located on the boarder of Warren and Halifax County. This school receives No Child Left Behind funding and operates much like other public charter schools; however, it has the unique characteristic of American Indian culture and technology being incorporated into its curriculum. I have been volunteering with this school since its inception in 2000. I have assisted teachers in the classroom with tutoring students and served as a proctor for End of Grade (EOG) and End of Course (EOC) testing on several times.