By Marta Tahja-Syrett.
The Shelton High School community is debating whether or not it is appropriate to play the national anthem for a Native American veteran.
On March 6, Shelton held an assembly honoring Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually treaty rights activist and environmentalist. Prior to the event, several students formulated a petition, in which they proposed that the National Anthem not be played out of respect for Native American people.
According to Shawn Goggins’ article published by iFiberOne NewsRadio, the petition stated, “Yes, I understand that the National Anthem is supposed to promote ‘American Pride,’ but the assembly is supposed to be honoring Billy Frank JR and by singing the National Anthem at a Native Holiday assembly you are putting the white man above the Native leader. The same white man that put Billy Frank in jail for fishing,” and that “we believe the National Anthem is wrong for the assembly because it is a white colonist tradition.”
The Shelton High School administration chose to honor the organizers’ petition. As it turned out, the school had no plans to perform the National Anthem. The school improvised their response by ensuring that all nationally-themed processions were left absent from this assembly — which, in the case of this event, meant omitting the Pledge of Allegiance.
However, shortly following the assembly, the Shelton School District superintendent, Alex Apostle, retracted the school’s response to the petition. Apostle made a statement posted on the Shelton School District’s website. He claimed that the administration’s choice in this matter “was not the appropriate decision regardless of the circumstances involved.” He concluded his statement on the district’s website by pledging to “take full responsibility for moving us forward together.”
The Squaxin Island Tribe also addressed the petition. A statement was published by the Shelton-Mason County Journal in an article by Gordon Weeks. The Squaxin Island Tribe stated that “Honoring the great civil rights leader is extremely important to the Squaxin Island Tribe. The Tribe, however, did not make or support any request to the school or district to remove the Pledge of Allegiance or national anthem from the program.”
Apostle stated that “The Shelton School District enjoys a positive and wonderful relationship with both tribes and together we will continue working with our students to educate and emphasize with clarity the importance and value of mutual respect for one another and cultural dignity for all people, including the highest respect for our flag and the United States of America.”
In the same vein, the Squaxin Island Tribe saidthat “Chairman Arnold Cooper has met with Superintendent Dr. Apostle, and looks forward to strengthening the ongoing relationship between the Tribe and Shelton schools.”
Ruth Peterson, a sophomore at Shelton High School, believes that the petition she helped to initiate has already brought students together. The school’s updated stance, in addition to backlash from fellow students, were unable to hinder Peterson’s perspective that the petition brought forth an important dialogue amongst the school’s community.
“I feel like we started a conversation for next year and the years to come. Some people were inspired by this, and then there was people that were defensive about what we had to say,” said Peterson.
According to Peterson, the high school made attempts to resolve student conflict as it arose following the petition’s debut. With students opposing Peterson and other petition organizers, Shelton High School thought it would be best to intervene in the form of a student meeting. The meeting was intended to encourage students with different viewpoints to discuss their beliefs and reactions to the aforementioned event.
“We had a mediation meeting with the other kids and talked about how the school board failed both of us, as both groups,” said Peterson. “We got to talk about how we felt, but still nothing was really done. We wished that more could have been done to suit the Native assemblies, and whatever we celebrate that’s culturally diverse. The people that are in that culture should have a say, not just a few people on a board.”
One of the arguments made against the petition was that Billy Frank Jr., due to his veteran status, would have wanted the National Anthem played at an event about him. This speculation comes from Josiah Sushak, another Shelton High School student, who expressed his beliefs in a letter addressed to the Shelton School District — which was also published on iFiberOne NewsRadio’s website. Still, he political beliefs of veterans are not universal. In 2017, Sacramento’s FOX40 reported that a group of veterans were “standing in solidarity with those who have chosen to protest during the National Anthem” in Sacramento. These individuals wanted to showcase the fact that “there are people who fought for this country but also support kneeling as a patriotic protest against social injustices.”
Levi Harter, who is Oglala Lakota, and a student of Evergreen’s Native Pathways Program, felt that Sushak’s aforementioned letter highlighted “just how badly Shelton School District has missed the mark when it comes to creating a true educational environment, thus dservicing the Indigenous Students that attend, local Tribes and all Indians.” Within the letter, Harter also saw language harmful to indigenous people being espoused by Sushak. “From labeling BFJr. as an ‘American,’ removing the fact that he’s Native, to the glory-washing of his military service. But what I think is most revealing is the quote he chose to use by Theodore Roosevelt. This is perhaps the grossest part, because he’s quoting a man who also said ‘the most vicious cowboy has more moral principle than the average Indian.’”
Harter went on to quote Roosevelt further: “‘I don’t go so far as to think that the only good Indians are the dead Indians, but I believe nine out of every 10 are,’ Roosevelt said during a January 1886 speech in New York. ‘And I shouldn’t like to inquire too closely into the case of the tenth.’”
Harter said petition supporters didn’t want the America “that persecuted men women and children, destroyed culture, committed genocide and purposely leaves all of it out of its history lessons,” represented at Billy Frank Jr.’s assembly.
“It only takes one real Indian to tell our true stories. One story and opinions based in ignorance and American Myth like the letter above dissolve,” said Harter. “We must speak for ourselves. Which is why I’m proud of my fellow Indigenous Students who decided to stand up for themselves and request that a flag and song saturated in the blood of Native Americans not be present while we honored one of OUR heroes.”
In response to those who reacted negatively to the petition, Peterson said petition organizers, including herself, “still took their opinion very serious.” Their intent was to consider all viewpoints while not taking criticism to heart.
Peterson was able to overlook negative responses regarding the petition, seeing a foundation for change and awareness taking root. “I feel like good came out of it, because not only did we make friendships with the ROTC kids, but we also made connections on how to move forward with ignorant things like this,” said Peterson.
Peterson also felt that Billy Frank Jr.’s veteran status wouldn’t have prevented him from appreciating the students’ actions.
“I feel like he would have been proud either way, that we stood up for what we were believing in, because that’s what he did the majority of his life, besides the two years of him going into service,” said Peterson. “And everywhere else that they honor him, they don’t do the Pledge or anything. They do a warrior dance and a warrior song because that’s what he was.”
In the future, Peterson sees herself as someone who will continue advocating on behalf of others.
“If there were to be opportunities that my voice would be heard, and like me just giving support to someone, then yes I would be an activist at that time,” said Peterson.
