It's the only public
school to bear the name of a Native public figure. Kids say: 'I
go to Billy Mills Middle School!'
Supporters, students,
teachers and the gold medal-winning Olympian Billy Mills gathered
in Lawrence, Kansas to celebrate a historic day in honor of Billy
Mills Middle School as the only public school to bear the name of
a Native American public figure.
The day was a re-dedication
ceremony to commemorate the official name change of South Middle
School to become Billy Mills Middle School. The name was put in
place over the summer, the commemoration makes it official.
In February of 2018,
the Lawrence school board voted unanimously to change the name of
South Middle School to honor Native Americans and honor the success
of the 1964 Oglala Lakota Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills. Friday
also marked the school's 50th anniversary.
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In
February of 2018, the Lawrence school board voted unanimously
to change the name of South Middle School to honor Native
Americans and honor the success of the 1964 Oglala Lakota
Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills. Photo: Rhonda LeValdo
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At the commemoration,
Mills spoke on the Doctrine of Discovery, the Civil Rights Movement
and the Jim Crowe laws.
The day before, when
Mills answered a question from a student about racism, he said it
was a question that brought him to tears, but that it needed to
be asked and talked about.
"We need to empower our
young people. As citizens of tribal nations, citizens of states,
citizens of the United States, we need to come together and carve
out the future for our children. As an elder in my tribe, elders
have vision and young people have dreams. I have a vision for your
middle school to become one of the most empowering middle schools.
I have a dream that your young people dreams can and will come true.
We turn on the news everyday and feel the pain. The racism today
we know what has caused it which provides us the answer
on how to solve it if we are willing. Our country is on the brink.
Do we develop it to become a full-fledged democracy, or do we withdraw
and become a full-fledged autocracy. How do we put this in our educational
system and empower our children?"
"Your community can be
one of the leaders in fulfilling the sacredness of democracy, I
believe that can happen, I believe it can happen in my lifetime,"
said Mills.
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Olympian
Billy Mills. Supporters, students, teachers and the gold medal-winning
Olympian Billy Mills gathered in Lawrence, Kansas on Friday
to celebrate a historic day in honor of Billy Mills Middle
School as the only public school to bear the name of a Native
American public figure. Photo: Rhonda LeValdo
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School board member Carol
Cadue-Blackwood, Kickapoo, initiated the move to change the name
of the school from South Middle School to Billy Mills Middle school
after learning about the high dropout rates of Native students from
her coworker Jennifer Attocknie, the Lawrence Native American Student
Success coordinator.
"She found out that they
said, 'No one cared about them, and they were invisible.' That always
stuck with me. After we successfully changed the name, I spoke with
a pediatrician at Haskell Health Center, and she said she noticed
the kids were more positive. They say, 'I go to Billy Mills Middle
School.'"
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Outside
the Billy Mills Middle School in Lawrence Kansas. Photo: Rhonda
LeValdo
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"Billy, thanks for letting
us use your name. We all see how one kid can make a change, and
that was Billy."said Cadue-Blackwood, who revealed another reason
for the name change was to acknowledge the gift of land from Haskell
to the city of Lawrence for the schools."
As part of the commemoration
and acknowledgement to the success of the life of Billy Mills, a
mural on the wall painted by Oglala Lakota artist Isaiah Stewart.
The mural chronicles the life of Billy Mills from his early life
on the reservation, to his eventual success at the Olympics.
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As
part of the commemoration and acknowledgement to the success
of the life of Billy Mills, a mural on the wall painted by
Oglala Lakota artist Isaiah Stewart. Photo: Rhonda LeValdo
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"I wanted to show these
images of his life along with student's works that will be part
of it, I feel incredibly blessed," said Stewart.
The Lawrence Superintendent
of Schools Dr. Anthony Lewis also expressed his thoughts. "This
is amazing day in the city of the Lawrence. I am extremely humbled
and proud to be a part of this celebration."
Jerry Tuckwin, Prairie
Band Potawatomi, is a Haskell alumni who went to school with Mills.
"He was a hero for us little guys. He would always say prayers for
us. He was an inspiration. Billy was four-years-older and we looked
up to him. When he went to KU we were inspired again. I am really
happy to see them give him this recognition. It is way overdue,
especially in this diverse community."
Mills ended his speech
by thanking the Lawrence community.
"Patricia and I are thrilled
and humbled to be a part of your community I spent 9 years in your
community. Your community is our community. It was where a dream
was born for me."
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