But it hasn’t always been easy being a non-Native.
Zimmer’s parents manage a fish and tackle shop in the area, but he and his family did not interact much with their Indian neighbors until his high school years. He was home schooled during his early grades.
“When I was 14, I got beat up for being a White kid in high school,” he recalls. He says he was often challenged for not being American Indian. “I got a first-hand look at racism from the
other side.”
Although students at SKC were a bit standoffish at first, Zimmer thinks his sincerity eventually won them over. “I try to do everything with a good heart. Once people here trust you, it’s like you’re part of a family.”
He says his experience has given him an appreciation for the richness and diversity of American Indian culture. Now, negativity from his American Indian classmates is the exception rather than the rule.
“The understanding that takes place between the [Native and non-Native] students is good for both communities,” McDonald says. “The diversity in the classroom teaches the students that they don’t exist in a vacuum.”
Editor’s Note: Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute are funded through a different funding structure than the above-mentioned schools under the Bureau of Indian Affairs and accept only American Indian students.
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
