Native American students embrace heritage through Guilford County Schools program

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Understanding and accepting others starts with education.

It’s why Guilford County Schools has programs through their diversity office that help make students of all backgrounds feel represented.

Each Tuesday night, between 15 and 30 GCS Native American students gather at a space in Greensboro for “Culture Classes” to learn traditional Native American songs and dance as well as lessons on the heritage.

Stephen Bell is the American Indian Education Coordinator for GCS. It’s his job to make sure the district’s Native American students have community and feel confident in who they are.

“It’s crucial not only for me to support our native students as they are navigating the school district and the school programs but then also to help our non-native students to make sure that they understand a full history of native people and that native people here in North Carolina still exist,” Bell said.

This is Bell’s fourth year as coordinator. Being a member of the Lumbee tribe himself has helped him connect with students on a different level.

“I had one student … say I didn’t know there were other Lumbee people in this area. And so it’s really exciting that they’re able to connect with other people,” Bell said. “A lot of our students come to me and share their experiences in the school district, which is very similar to what mine was and very similar to many of our parents and grandparents where they feel that a lot of assumptions or stereotypes are placed on them that they don’t look like an Indian, they don’t look like what media portrays native people to be oftentimes. It’s not what they saw in their history books. I often get asked, ‘Did you ride a horse to get to school?’ There’s just a lack of knowledge that native people … exist, and that we have adapted and evolved just like all communities have.”

The weekly culture classes Bell leads help Native American students learn more about their culture and connect with students in other tribes across the county. Brynna Holbrok is a Freshman at Grimsley High School and is a member of the Lumbee tribe. She says culture classes have brought her out of her shell and helped her learn traditional dances.

“When I first heard about it, I was kind of skeptical and kind of nervous … Once I started attending it more and learning about the people in my community and seeing how diverse it is … I started to be more comfortable and more comfortable dancing around them, and I started to really grow a family,” Holbrok said.

Chloe Thompson, a senior at UNCG Middle College, has been attending culture classes for two years now. She learned about them after Bell gave a talk at her school.

“When I first started coming, I didn’t really know much about myself in regards to my culture, my heritage. I didn’t know anything about dancing, about beading, and I was immediately welcomed. And I’ve now been doing beading and powwow dancing for two years and I’ve learned everything from the culture class meetings,” Thompson said.

When Bell isn’t leading culture classes, he’s visiting schools throughout the district giving talks, teaching lessons about Native American practices and debunking harmful stereotypes.

As diversity equity and inclusion programs are being eliminated across the country, Bell says programs like this one are invaluable to students.

“When we are providing programs that maybe give a different opinion when we provide programs that open students’ eyes to seeing that there are more people that are different from them but also have a lot of similarities as well, it’s helpful for them to just be able to change their perspective and know that they’re going to be stronger citizens and stronger leaders for our future when they graduate,” Bell said.

Weekly culture classes only scratch the surface of what the American Indian Education Program offers to students. It also offers summer camps, college and career support, SAT prep and more.

It’s all to help Native American students thrive in the district.

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