DINÉ EMPOWERMENT
Voices for Equity in Education
We provide training and resources to help you become your child's advocate in school.
Diné Empowerment––Voices for Equity in Education is an initiative based in New Mexico, grounded in cultural values and committed to giving parents the tools they need to become an advocate for educational justice.
Apply for our Fall 2024 Parent Advocacy Cohort!
Our goal is to empower parents by supporting them in communication and action for change. Our Parent Advocacy program will provide guidance, instruction, and the support of a cohort to help you become an advocate in your child's educational journey. Applications are due by October 20, 2024.
OUR INVESTMENT: Nihá aÅ‚chini nihi dáá nidóódaaÅ‚
Education is the most powerful investment we can make for our future. The ultimate goal for our Diné children is to speak their language, honor their culture, and have a strong self-identity so they can navigate life, live healthy, and contribute to a productive and prosperous Diné society.
OUR BELIEF – KNOWLEDGE IS SPIRITUAL: Sa’ah Naagháí Bik’eh Hozhóón
In our Diné way of life, education begins at conception, prenatal development, birth, and throughout the child’s growth and life. Education is a lifelong process involving traditional ways of knowing through language and social-cultural practices that are passed on from one generation to another. (Cajete 1994: Deloria and Wildcat 2001: Lomawaima and McCarty 2006)​
On the contrary, western education is a systemized body of knowledge regulated by institutions through a process of schooling that perpetuates the dominant Eurocentric ideals and world views. Therefore, access to education is predetermined by institutions that do not always provide equal opportunity for all. (Apple 2000, 2001a: Bowles and Gintis (1976) 2001.
OUR HISTORY IN EDUCATION:
How much progress in education have we made in the last several generations and how do we move forward in this 21st Century? The failures of education for our people are historically documented from the 1600s Colonization Era, Indian Civilization Act (Boarding Schools & Missionary Education) in the 1800’s, The Meriam Report of 1928, the Indian Reorganization Act & Johnson O’Malley Act of 1934, The 1969 Kennedy Report, “Indian Education: A National Tragedy – A National Challenge, the 1975 Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act, the 1988 Tribally Controlled Schools Act, and the more recent 2014 Findings and Recommendations by the BIE Study Group under the Obama Administration.
OUR MOVEMENT:
With this historic background and challenge, the future of our children, their education, and our Navajo Nation is at stake and the responsibility rests with us as parents, educators, and leaders.
You have the power to make a difference.
Join us in raising awareness and enabling the community to address issues about the educational system for students impacted by injustices so that it aligns with sovereign will and Indigenous culture.