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RSVP - Erik Stegman
On Friday, May 1st, Erik Stegman (Director, Field Outreach and Advocacy, Poverty to Prosperity Program, Center for American Progress) is coming to UCR for a seminar on "Missing the Point: The Real Impact of Mascots on American Indian and Alaska Native Youth."
This event is part of the UCR School of Public Policy Seminar Series. Free and open to the public. Seating is limited so please RSVP via this form or (951) 827-5656 or markma@ucr.edu.
Event Details:
Friday, May 1st, 2015
Interdisciplinary South 1113 Symposium Room (located at http://campusmap.ucr.edu/imap/index.html?loc=INTS).
12:30-2:00 p.m.
Directions to UCR:
http://www.ucr.edu/about/directions.html
ABSTRACT:
The public debate about American Indian mascots and team names has been missing the point. These racist representations have real consequences for American Indian and Alaska Native people, especially youth. This report explores the mental health research that shows how the presence of these mascots in schools contributes to lower self-esteem for AIAN students, undermines the understanding of Native people by non-Native people, and contributes to an unwelcome and often hostile learning environment. This is all in the context of a population that deals with some of the most severe challenges to educational success in the country, and an epidemic suicide rate 2.5 times the national rate. Finally, it puts forward new recommendations to local, state, and federal education agencies to step in and support AIAN students dealing with these racist mascots in their schools. The report was covered by The Washington Post, USA Today, and MSNBC, among others.
SPEAKER BIO:
Erik Stegman is the Director of Field Outreach and Advocacy for the Poverty to Prosperity program at American Progress. In this role, he leads the team’s advocacy and outreach strategy, working with a national network of grassroots advocates and coalition partners to build the public and political will to dramatically reduce poverty. He also leads the development of the Half in Ten Annual Poverty and Inequality Indicators Report and develops policy and analysis supporting opportunity for rural and American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
Prior to joining the team at American Progress, Erik served as majority counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs under the leadership of Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (HI). He was an expert on a wide range of policy issues affecting tribal governments including economic development, law enforcement, violence against women, tax, education, and telecommunications. He also took the lead on developing the Stand Against Violence and Empower Native Women Act, which was signed into law as part of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization of 2013.
Erik was appointed in 2011 to serve as policy advisor to Assistant Deputy Secretary Kevin Jennings at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. During his time in the administration, he led an intra-agency working group on American Indian policy development. Erik also organized the first-ever federal lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth summit, which brought LGBT youth from across the country together with officials from the Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services.
He began his career in Washington, D.C. at the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center where he managed several national networks of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and tribal leaders to develop research and policy priorities on a range of issues facing tribal governments and communities.
Erik holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, an M.A. in American Indian studies from UCLA’s graduate division, and a B.A. from Whittier College. He also served for seven years on the National Board of Directors for the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network where he earned the Charley Todd Award for Outstanding Board Leadership.
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