Latest news with #Yazzie
Business Upturn
29-05-2025
- General
- Business Upturn
'Infinite Prayer' the Latest American Indian College Fund Student-Designed Pendleton Blanket is Now Available for Purchase
Denver, Colo., May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 2024 winning Tribal College Blanket Design, Infinite Prayer, designed by Jenabah Yazzie (Diné), is now available for purchase. Chosen from over 40 submissions, the blanket is the latest addition to Pendleton Woolen Mills' American Indian College Fund collection. The heritage brand has created wool blankets in partnership with the College Fund for more than 20 years. A portion of the sales from the blanket collection provides approximately $50,000 in annual Native student scholarships. Pendleton also contributes to a scholarship endowment that, combined with the total of scholarships disbursed, exceeds $2.5 million. Yazzie is a psychology major at Diné College focused on behavior and the functions of the mind. She decided to enter the design contest after seeing the blanket of a previous winner online. Her late father's passion for making art served as her inspiration, and the love of her ancestors is referenced in the design itself. 'By creating this I hope it instills the warmth and prayers that our grandparents put down for us,' Yazzie said. 'Let this be a reminder that they are still here amongst us, their spirits can be felt while we pray.' Through her design, Yazzie honors the morning time: the time of day when Navajo are taught to give offerings before the sunrise. The colors of the blanket represent hayoołkááł (dawn). The white border of the blanket represents the strength of prayer with the black and white design along the border depicting the love and protection of the Holy People. The four rectangles in the center of the blanket symbolize the thoughts and prayers of the people with the stars in the center of each rectangle representing the Star People, to remind us that we are never alone. Yazzie explained that prayer is always in motion which led to the name Infinite Prayer. Learn more about Yazzie's blanket design at As the winner of the Tribal College Blanket Design Contest, Yazzie received a $5,000 scholarship, $2,000 for books and incidentals, and six blankets for her design portfolio. 'I want to thank the American Indian College Fund and Pendleton for this amazing opportunity not only for myself but for all of the little rez kids out there waiting to live a big dream and pursue something in life,' Yazzie said. The Tribal College Blanket Design Contest is an annual contest open to all Native TCU students. Applications open every November on the College Fund's website at The contest seeks to create greater recognition for promising Native student artists' work, to provide valuable design experience working with an internationally known brand, and to give students scholarships and cash awards to assist with college costs. The program also helps the College Fund and Pendleton honor the richness of Native arts, cultures, and stories by sharing original Native student designs with the public. 'Infinite Prayer' can be purchased online at and in select Pendleton retail stores. About Pendleton Woolen Mills Pendleton Woolen Mills is a heritage lifestyle brand and the leader in wool blankets, apparel and accessories. Weaving in Oregon since 1863 and located in Portland, Oregon, Pendleton weaves iconic designs in two of America's remaining woolen mills located in Pendleton, Oregon and Washougal, Washington. With six generations of family ownership, Pendleton is focused on their 'Warranted to Be a Pendleton' legacy, creating quality lifestyle products with timeless classic styling. Inspiring individuals from the Pacific Northwest and beyond for 160 years, Pendleton products are available at Pendleton stores across the US, select retailers worldwide, and on About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation's largest charity supporting Native higher education for 35 years. The College Fund believes 'Education is the answer' and provided $20.5 million in scholarships and other direct student support for access to a higher education steeped in Native culture and values to American Indian students in 2023-24. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $349 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of programs at the nation's 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators. It earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a Gold Seal of Transparency from Guidestar, and the 'Best in America Seal of Excellence' from the Independent Charities of America. The College Fund was also named as one of the nation's top 100 charities to the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit Reporters: The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund. Photo 1: Jenabah Yazzie with her award-winning Pendleton Blanket Design. Photo 2: Infinite Prayer blanket design. Attachments Infinite Prayer Blanket Jenabah Yazzie with Infinite Prayer Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Santa Fe judge finds state out of compliance with Yazzie/Martinez education ruling
You make the mess, you clean it up. That was the message Tuesday from a state district judge in Santa Fe who ruled the New Mexico Public Education Department has continually failed to comply with a landmark 2018 court order to provide a sufficient education to certain groups of at-risk students. Judge Matthew Wilson of the First Judicial District also ruled it was the department's job to fix the problem. He ordered the agency to develop a "comprehensive remedial plan" to comply with the ruling in Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico and set several deadlines. His ruling followed a hearing on a motion filed by plaintiffs in the lawsuit, asking the judge to assign the job of improving services and student outcomes to the Legislative Education Study Committee rather than the education agency. Nearly seven years after another state judge found in favor of the plaintiffs, they continue to decry what they see as a lack of successful solutions from the Public Education Department, even as lawmakers have made significant investments in education. The department argues, however, its mandate to ensure schools adequately educate groups of students cited in the lawsuit — Native Americans, English language learners, low-income kids and students with disabilities — pits it directly against districts that demand more local control. Attorneys for the plaintiffs said Tuesday the Legislative Education Study Committee has more expertise, stability and accountability than the education department and should be tasked with creating a plan to make improvements. Wilson denied that part of the motion, noting the committee is not a party in the lawsuit and he doesn't have the authority to direct it to create the plan. But he said the Legislative Education Study Committee and other stakeholders should be involved in crafting the plan and selecting outside experts and consultants to help. Wilson also laid out deadlines for the state to be in compliance, or risk court sanctions: * July 1: The Public Education Department must file a status report with the court and work with the Legislative Education Study Committee to identify outside experts and consultants to help draft the action plan. * Oct. 1: The state agency, along with stakeholders, must develop a draft plan, 'identifying all the components and elements necessary for a constitutionally sufficient and uniform education for at-risk students." * Nov. 3: The agency must develop a final plan and file a status report for the court's review. * Dec. 1: The Yazzie/Martinez plaintiffs' last day to file objections to the final plan. The state will then have 15 days to file a response, and the plaintiffs will have 15 days to file a reply. Wilson said he "anticipates a final comprehensive remedial plan." "I will bring the PED and the state into compliance with the court's final judgment and will ultimately conclude this litigation,' he said. 'Scattershot initiatives'? The state had one main argument against the plaintiffs' claims of continued noncompliance with a judge's 2018 ruling in the case. Rather, it had one number — 62% — referring to the state's roughly $1.7 billion increase in annual appropriations for public education between 2016, when the budget was $2.5 billion, and 2024, when it was $4.2 billion. 'Plaintiffs argued that this increase in funding makes no difference because PED has no plan how to spend it and no accountability over the districts. That is simply untrue,' said Taylor Rahn, a private attorney with Robles, Rael & Anaya, who represented the Public Education Department and Cabinet Secretary Mariana Padilla. Rahn pointed to examples of the department's oversight, such as education plans that require "school districts to articulate how they intend to spend at-risk funding.' She said the plaintiffs have an 'outright disregard of changes to inputs in the public education system.' Rahn also noted some areas of improvement, such as an increase in graduation rates for at-risk groups and the narrowing of an achievement gap between high- and low-performing students, one that is 'smaller than the national average.' While a boost in performance by economically disadvantaged students between 2022-23 and 2023-24 helped narrow the achievement gap, assessments showed it was also caused by a downturn in the academic performance of students from higher-income families. In a rebuttal to Rahn, Preston Sanchez, an attorney for the Yazzie plaintiffs, called the Public Education Department's efforts 'piecemeal' and 'scattershot initiatives that have had little to no impact' on at-risk student groups. He cited a few dismal statistics — for example, that 12% of special education students achieved scores showing proficiency in reading in 2022-23, compared to 38% of students overall statewide. As for the agency's accountability measures, he called the department's education plan a matter of 'checking boxes and paperwork' rather than a comprehensive means to vet school districts. Asking for overreach? Rahn argued the plaintiffs' request for the department to impose 'sweeping accountability measures' could lead to pushback from districts that oppose overreach. For instance, 54 districts joined together last year in filing a lawsuit against the department's rule requiring all schools to provide 180 days of instruction each year. A judge struck down the rule in February. Padilla said at the time the department was "dissatisfied" with the ruling and still believed "students can achieve better educational outcomes when we maximize learning opportunities." The plaintiffs' attorneys called into question the stability of the agency's leadership — given its five Cabinet secretaries since 2019 and the recent departure of Margaret Cage, director and deputy secretary of the Office of Special Education, after two years on the job. Rahn noted the agency has decreased its job vacancy rate since 2016 and has created 'dozens of new positions, many of which are targeted in at-risk student areas.' She said, ' Plaintiffs make the allegation that PED cannot be trusted to lead or cannot be trusted to comply with court orders because we've had several secretaries since the time of the court ruling. There is no court relief that could change that. People are allowed to change positions; people are allowed to seek different positions." She also pointed to the plaintiffs' request for remedies to teacher vacancies in at-risk areas — saying they were "suggesting that the state must force teachers into certain at-risk classrooms." ' The court does not have the power to override teacher union agreements," she said. Wilson did not address the plaintiffs' calls for such specific actions but noted 'the relief sought by plaintiffs is reasonable and within the court's authority.' Martha Pincoffs, a spokesperson for the Public Education Department, wrote in an email after the hearing the state has "substantially increased funding, and taken significant steps" to improve student performance and educator retention.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge sides with plaintiffs in Yazzie/Martinez NM education equity case
Wilhelmina Yazzie and Polk Middle School teacher Travis McKenzie embrace Tuesday April 29, 2025, celebrating a district court judge's order siding with plaintiffs' request the state create a plan for achieving better outcomes for Native American, disabled, low-income and English-learning students. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) A New Mexico district court judge on Tuesday found that the Public Education Department has not complied with previous orders in the Yazzie/Martinez education equity case and ordered the state to begin the process for creating a plan to rectify the situation. Parties in the more than 10-year-old Yazzie/Martinez case returned to court after plaintiffs filed a motion of non-compliance in September 2024, pointing to continued poor student outcomes, high turnover within the PED and high teacher vacancy rates. First Judicial District Court Judge Matthew Wilson concurred and said the state needs a plan to ensure progress is made and tracked. 'A court-ordered plan would provide guidance to the Legislature and the executive branches of government, particularly when making difficult budgetary decisions that need to survive political and economic shifts,' Wilson said during the hearing. Plaintiffs' legal counsel had proposed appointing the Legislative Education Study Committee to lead the development of the plan because the department has permanent staff and access to educational research. However, Wilson said because the LESC is not party to the case, he does not have the authority to direct them to create a plan. Instead, PED is tasked with developing a plan and LESC can provide input. Wilson gave the PED until July 1 to identify an 'outside expert and consultant to assist' in developing the plan and to file a status report with the court. The state then has until Oct. 1 to develop a draft report and file another status report with the state, 'taking into consideration all of the components and elements raised by the plaintiffs in their briefing.' Wilson said the final plan must be completed by Nov. 3 and filed for the court's review. The plaintiffs outlined a proposed plan with nine goals to address the needs of Native American students, low income students, English language learners and students with disabilities. A PED spokesperson told Source NM that the department welcomes Wilson's decision. According to court documents, the PED did not object to creating a plan, but objected to the LESC taking the lead in the process. 'Improving student outcomes is central to our mission and this plan will support lasting improvements to our educational system,' the PED told Source in a written statement. The department also said the state has 'substantially increased funding' and the department has made 'significant steps' to improve student outcomes and teacher recruitment. Melissa Candelaria, education director for the NM Center on Law and Poverty, which represents the plaintiffs, said plaintiffs still see the court's decision as a 'victory' because LESC will still be involved. She said the plaintiffs will be involved as well, because Wilson ordered that stakeholders be consulted. She said the plaintiffs will need continued support 'as we go forward in holding the state accountable in implementmenting the plan and ensuring that the voices are at the table in the development of the plan, as the court said just a little while ago,' Candelaria said during a news conference following the court's decision. Wilhelmina Yazzie (Diné), one of the original plaintiffs, was emotional following the court's decision. 'I think it's about time, and I really am staying positive. As I mentioned, my boys were young when we started this, now they're young adults,' Yazzie told Source NM. Danielle Prokop contributed to the reporting of this story. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Santa Fe man accused of battering woman in hotel
A Santa Fe man faces a felony charge after, police say, he strangled a woman in a hotel room. Kendall Yazzie, 34, faces a charge of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court. Police were dispatched to the Days Inn hotel in Santa Fe just before 2 a.m. in response to a call reporting a woman was "actively being choked," according to a probable cause statement filed by police. The incident was reported by a third party who was on a video call with the alleged victim on the social media app TikTok when the incident occurred, police wrote. The woman told police the alleged victim dropped her phone during the call and said, "He's choking me, sis," which led her to dial 911. Yazzie denied that he strangled the woman, telling officers the two had been living at the hotel for almost two years, racking up thousands of dollars in charges and that he was "frustrated" at being denied jobs in the area, according to the police statement. Yazzie was ordered to be released from jail Thursday afternoon after an arraignment hearing, with a judge ordering him against making contact with the alleged victim, according to a court order.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Groundbreaking play premieres at Kennedy Center despite upheaval
Mary Annette PemberICT At first, Rhiana Yazzie didn't know what would happen to her play when President Donald Trump suddenly declared himself chairman of the board of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The play, 'The Other Children of the Sun,' had been set to premiere just 10 days later at the performing arts center as part of the Theater for Young Audiences BIPOC Superhero Project, a nationwide initiative with playwrights of color. SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. Her play is based on characters in the Navajo creation story and includes messages and teachings about finding and maintaining harmony and balance as well as learning restraint and wisdom. 'We didn't know what was happening,' Yazzie, Navajo, told ICT. 'But I decided my priority would be leading this team of Native artists who had never had an opportunity like this before.' Much to her relief, the premiere went on as scheduled on Feb. 22, making Yazzie the first Native woman to write and direct a play at the Kennedy Center. It will run through Sunday, March 9. Yazzie was commissioned by the Kennedy Center to write and direct 'The Other Children of the Sun' as part of the Theater for Young Audiences program, which works to connect playwrights of color with theaters and bring communities together through 'inspiring stories of new heroes.' She worked with dramaturg Steven Paul Judd, a Kiowa/Choctaw filmmaker and screenwriter. The family-friendly production features a colorful set and large, colorful puppets designed by Chamindika Wandurgala and Johnathan Boyd, Red Lake Nation. Featured artists include actors Kholan Studi, the son of Cherokee actor Wes Studi; Derek Garza, Wichita/Comanche and Latino; Nikcoma Lee Mahkewa, Hopi-Tewa, Mohave, Chemehuevi; Sienna Tso, Diné; Joe Gallegos Jr., Tewa/Latino; Alex Slim, Diné; Becca Worthington, Cherokee Nation; and actor/singer/puppeteer Vicki Oceguera, Qawalangin Tribe/Mexican. The shakeup in leadership initially created a lot of uncertainty about the project, Yazzie told ICT. 'But then we just started to take it day by day,' she said. The official description of the Superhero Project is rich in language dismissed by Trump and his supporters as 'woke,' or supportive of policies that incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI. Shortly after taking office in January, Trump ousted the performing arts center's leadership, filled the board of trustees with his supporters, and announced he had been elected unanimously to be the board's chairman. "The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal in February. 'President Trump and the members of his newly-appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America's great history and traditions.' The new leadership at the center informed them, however, that nothing already in programming would be canceled. 'A good place to start' Yazzie has been a playwright for most of her adult life, beginning her professional career in 2006 in Minnesota where she later opened her own theater company in Minneapolis, the New Native Theater. Born and raised in Farmington and Albuquerque, she moved to Minneapolis after graduating from the University of Southern California's Master of Professional Writing Program. Yazzie has won numerous professional awards and fellowships, including the 2025 United States Artist Fellowship, a Lanford Wilson and Steinberg Award, the 2023 Headwaters Bush Prize for social justice. She has also written, produced and directed the debut feature film, 'A Winter Love,' and has written for seasons two and three of the television psychological thriller series, 'Dark Winds,' on AMC television. She is currently at work on her second feature film, as well as directing a new play, 'The Nut, the Hermit, the Monk and the Crow,' at the New Native Theater. Although Yazzie has written plays and stories for young people, this is her first work about super heroes. 'I'm not necessarily the person you'd turn to when thinking of writing a super hero script,' she said. But Yazzie was very interested in finding something popular for Navajo youth that other young people would also enjoy. 'I've always wanted to look at the Navajo creation story and thought of the brother and sister hero twins, Ánaaí and Adeezhí, as a good place to start,' she said. 'Beauty and harmony' In the play, the twins – the children of the sun, Jóhonaa'éí – complain that their life in the sky is too boring. They travel to Earth on a mission to destroy human-eating monsters, and they meet some minor monsters in the process. The minor monsters are called Winter Woman, Hunger Man and Old Age Bringer. 'The minor monsters make us uncomfortable but they are actually necessary for humanity,' Yazzie said. 'For instance, without Winter Woman, you would have an unbalanced planet, which is something we're learning now, right?' Another character, Old Age Bringer, represents the cycle of life in which one is born, grows up and eventually dies. 'Everything has to pass away and that's unfortunate but it's important in order to maintain balance,' Yazzie said. 'There's a reason certain types of suffering exists on the Earth; it's actually part of the balance that is part of being alive and human.' One of the central messages of 'The Other Children of the Sun,' is the importance of maintaining balance and harmony in our lives. 'Discernment and wisdom are also important themes; the twins needed some wisdom and understanding in order to do good. Being a hero isn't just about destroying monsters,' Yazzie said. As Winter Woman says in the play, 'Shi'yazhí, we're all part of the larger cycles of life. It's each of our responsibilities to grow and create beauty and harmony. And then to pass that on to the next ones that come.' Growing up, Yazzie recalls never seeing any coming-of-age stories in popular culture that featured Native people. 'It's important to create more visibility for Native people to be able to see themselves in stories,' she said. A long history Producing the play at the Kennedy Center is an important statement for Yazzie. 'It took all of us a lot of years to get to the level it takes to get to the Kennedy Center,' she said. 'We didn't just get here because of a BIPOC program. We got here because we're very good.' She says audiences are loving the play. 'The young people are so engaged,' she said. 'Our story begins with a monster howling in the dark. It's really fun and energizing for kids and families.' Yazzie's only regret is that the play won't be taken to the Navajo Nation. 'It's a beautiful play with large visuals,' she said. 'I wish we could tour across Indian Country.' The Kennedy Center has a long history. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., in 1958. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an act of Congress designating the center as a living memorial after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The center's very origins are bipartisan. Presidents have routinely attended honors at the center even in the presence of artists who disagreed with them politically. Trump, however, has been more aggressive and proactive in his second term, citing some drag show performances at the center as a reason to transform it. 'At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,' he wrote on his social media. 'I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.' Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center website still includes a passage about the core mission, one that strives 'to ensure that the education and outreach programs and policies of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts meet the highest level of excellence and reflect the cultural diversity of the United States.' The website also continues to include a land acknowledgement. 'We acknowledge that the Kennedy Center is standing on the traditional land of the Nacotchtank and Piscataway peoples past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have been stewards of this land throughout the generations.' Fallout continues The fallout from Trump's announcement, however, has been unprecedented. Kennedy Center consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming have resigned, and actor Issa Rae and author Louise Penny have canceled appearances. During a concert in early March that proceeded as scheduled, singer-songwriter Victoria Clark wore a T-shirt reading 'ANTI TRUMP AF.' On Tuesday, March 5, singer-musician Rhiannon Giddens said she was canceling a May show at the Kennedy Center and moving it to another D.C. venue. 'The Kennedy Center show was booked long before the current administration decided to take over this previously non-political institution,' Giddens said. Several people on social media encouraged Yazzie and performers in 'The Other Children of the Sun,' to resign in protest. 'There was no way I was going to walk away from this opportunity in protest,' Yazzie said. Although other presidential administrations may have been more friendly toward Native people and the arts, it's still very difficult to get their work presented on major stages, according to Yazzie. 'I think the protest is staying and making sure that our voice is heard and we are seen and our Native artists get to complete their jobs,' she said. 'All of these considerations were important to me. 'This is our art center; our space, our building.' The story contains material from The Associated Press. Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
