Representative Victors made her case in front of state & federal committee today, arguing that her bill should be heard by the full body, allowing students to “be themselves” and wear formal native attire to state events and be recognized as valuing their culture.
House Bill 2498 cleared the House on Feb. 21 by a vote of 122-0. It is sponsored by Rep. Ponka-We Victors, D-Wichita, who is a member of both the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma and the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona.
Dressed in her own regalia made of deer skin, and wearing an eagle feather in her hair, Victors said Native Americans consider their traditional clothing as formal attire in the same way European-Americans view suits.
But she said it is common for Native Americans to be forbidden from wearing their traditional clothes at ceremonial events, and she suggested that kind of cultural bias contributes to a sense of isolation among Native American youths, who suffer from high rates of suicide and substance abuse.
"I don't want to discourage our students from trying to be who they are," Victors said. "Identity is a big part of that, so this bill will help them to be free to be proud of who they are as native people."
Unanimous consent of the bill in the house gives hope for a clean passage in the senate as well.
Rep. Victors — today, your victory was the kind of “good news” that we need about what Democratic legislators are doing on behalf of our fellow citizens.
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