Politics

Student Wears Eagle Feather at Graduation After Lawsuit

Published

9 years ago

June 5, 2015

Christian Titman walks into Lamonica Stadium for Clovis High’s graduation ceremony Thursday, June 4, 2015, in Clovis, Calif. The Native American student is wearing an eagle feather to his high school graduation after resolving a court fight with a California school district over the sacred object. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP)

BY SUDHIN THANAWALA, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Native American student wore an eagle feather that he considers sacred to his high school graduation ceremony Thursday night after resolving a court fight with a California school district.

Christian Titman, clad in blue with his fellow graduates of Clovis High School, marched into the stadium at sunset, his long braid with the eagle feather attached came out one side of his cap while the traditional graduate’s tassel hung over the other side.

His presence — and the feather’s — at the ceremony came after a last-minute deal with the Clovis Unified School District, which sought to enforce the strict graduation dress code that had previously led it to deny stoles, leis, rosaries and necklaces on other students.

The 18-year-old is a member of the Pit River Tribe, which considers eagle feathers sacred and symbolic of a significant accomplishment, and he said the district was violating his rights to freedom of expression and religion under the California Constitution.

The case went to court before the sides agreed that Titman could wear the feather in his hair and attach it to his cap for the traditional tassel turn.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Titman in the lawsuit, issued a statement Thursday night congratulating him on graduating and “proudly displaying and eagle feather.”

“His determination to advocate for what is right has inspired us all,” the ACLU said.

His mother, Renee Titman, did not immediately respond to phone messages left after the ceremony.

She said earlier that her son was expected to be popular at graduation, an accomplishment that required him to scramble for credits after he struggled during his freshman and sophomore years, said his mom, Renee titman.

“Half his senior class wants to take pictures with him after what happened,” she said.

She said that the school district had granted a dress-code exception for his long hair after he enrolled, and she had thought it would do the same for the feather.

Christian Titman declined requests for comment.

In a letter to Titman’s attorneys in May, Superintendent Janet Young said the district’s graduation dress code was intended in part to avoid “disruption … that would likely occur if students were allowed to alter or add on to their graduation cap and gown.”

Tara Houska, a tribal rights attorney in Washington, D.C., said fights over eagle feathers come up every year around graduation time and show the need to educate people about Native American culture.

“Just like the hijab or yarmulke, this is something that is intrinsic to the religion,” she said. “This isn’t just a symbol or something that is an individual fashion choice.”

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

2 hours ago

April 19, 2024

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.

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Community

Financial Assistance Bill for Descendants of Enslaved Persons to Help Them Purchase, Own, or Maintain a Home

California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) vice chair Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) introduced new legislation related to reparations to the Senate Committee on Housing on April 2 in Sacramento. Senate Bill (SB) 1007, “establishes the Homeowner’s Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program to make financial aid or assistance available to descendants for the purposes of purchasing, owning, or maintaining a home,” the legislation states.

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood). Photo Courtesy of L.A. Sentinel

California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) vice chair Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) introduced new legislation related to reparations to the Senate Committee on Housing on April 2 in Sacramento.

Senate Bill (SB) 1007, “establishes the Homeowner’s Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program to make financial aid or assistance available to descendants for the purposes of purchasing, owning, or maintaining a home,” the legislation states.

The Senate Housing Committee advanced the bill with an 8-1 vote. It will be re-referred to the Appropriations Committee for consideration.

Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) was the only member who voted against the bill.

“SB 1007 is about starting a long process of paying back a debt that is not only owed, but that was also promised, and is 160 years overdue, to African Americans,” Bradford told the committee chaired by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). “It is the first step in closing the wealth and equity gap created by centuries of slavery and racial discrimination policies.”

The bill aligns with one of the 115 recommendations listed in a two-year study conducted by the California reparations task force, of which Bradford was one of nine members.

Bradford said the report reveals that, in the state of California, a typical Black-owned home is 22% less valuable than a White-owned home.

Various advocacy groups from around the state attended the hearing held at the State Capitol Annex Swing Space. The California Housing Partnership, Bay Area Regional Health and Inequities Initiative, Coalition for A Just and Equitable California, Disability Rights of California, the American Civil Liberties Union of California, and California Community Builders all voiced their support of the bill.