Today’s panel was very intriguing for me because as elders Selina, Linda, and David, are highly respected specialists in Tlingit culture. Much has changed since the days that they were youth and were subjected to being othered by the standard social norms of the day such as privilege, power, and control. Even though much has changed in such a short time, still many things remain the same. I appreciate how their dialogues offered first hand accounts of what it was like for them as youth and all that they have had to work for since then to preserve their personal identities and cultural identities but to create an avenue for the culture to be revitalized and passed on to the younger generations. Digging deeper into the discussion, I took away a reminder that many people have been working (and fighting) for multiple generations now so that we can see equity in education. As MAT students and future teachers we have a large responsibility not to lose their vision when we step into the classroom for our training period and even once we are professionals at our craft. 
Your writing is so eloquent, Cecilia! Thank you for reminding me of the power of their words and the impact they’ve had on my teaching.
Cecelia,
Nicely said! We have so much to learn from the elders, from their experience , and their values. It was an honor to hear their stories, and I realized it took a lot of effort and struggle from many of them in order to have a glimpse of equity in education. The elders are passing on their message, and it is our turn now to make sure that multicultural education won’t be lost.
Their vision will not be lost! Thank you for sharing your advice and outlook through your written and spoken words 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Cecelia. I really enjoyed how you described the changes you have seen happening with the presence of Lingit education in Juneau and how you were able to reflect on that from the Elder visit. It is really cool to read how you drew connections from the Elder visit to the bigger picture of what change really means. For me, change is humbling, because it seems to also be a slow and turbulent process. As an impatient person, this frustrates me so much and often makes me want to just give up, but in re-examining what the Elders have done for their hopes in the next generation of culture warriors, I feel supported and grateful.
I hope to see so much elder involvement this year in the classrooms across the state. It is so vital to have community in the classroom.