JSIS 498 C: Digital Stories, Indigeneity and the Environment
Indigenizing the Jackson School
Why is this important?
What about the Jackson School's history makes Indigenizing it necessary and important?
The Jackson School's Namesake...
Early in his career, Henry Jackson supported the termination of Indigenous treaties and rights in large measure because he believed it would be better for these communities to not be “wards of the state.” Eventually, he realized that he was wrong and that Indigenous communities were not served by terminating treaties and tribal rights but rather by protecting and nurturing them. As a result, he led the senate to pass laws that rejected the terminations policies of the 1950s and instead sought to protect and fortify Indigenous sovereignty through what the historian Sasha Harmon described as “a game-changing spate of legislation that sanctioned meaningful support to a resurgence of tribal self-government.” In reflecting on why he had been so amiss earlier in his career when he backed termination policies, he identified the lack of Indigenous input that could give him the requisite context and insight. Jackson credited his cooperation with Native Forest Gerard as having been fundamental in changing his thinking and creating the successful legislation that came out of their relationship. Given that Henry Jackson is our namesake, we believe it incumbent upon the JS to build upon and honor his legacy by working to incorporate Indigenous culture, people, and perspectives as a way to forge the allyships that Jackson recommended and valued.
Given Henry Jackson’s legacy of involvement in Indigenous affairs, and the Jackson School’s location on traditional Coast Salish territory, we believe it is imperative that Indigenous knowledge is visibly present in the Jackson School’s curriculum and programming. We believe that students and faculty must be made aware of the at times problematic legacy of the school’s namesake so as to eliminate the violence of erasure of Indigenous suffering. We also believe that students and faculty must not be held solely responsible for educating themselves about Indigenous histories and epistemologies. We call on the Jackson School to take actionable steps towards addressing these issues through the goals and recommendations set forth by this project.