Congratulations to Julie Cajune for receiving a $1.4 million grant for Indian education

Julie Cajune, an educator at Salish Kootenai College in the Flathead Reservation in Montana, was recently awarded a $1.4 million education grant From the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Here’s the link. She was notified last week. And, also here’s an excerpt about Cajune’s grant proposal:

The project includes making a film focusing on cultural sovereignty of Indian peoples as well as each tribe’s political sovereignty. “I think a film on sovereignty can provide a background to a lot of things that are in the news about Indian people today,” she said.

Another major piece of the work would be what she describes as a parallel history, which will discuss American-Indian historical events and contributions on a parallel timeline of events commonly taught in U.S. history classes.

Cajune is a top-notch educator who will do great things with this project. She has the vision and tenacity to get it done. Many kids and teachers will benefit from her work. In April 2009, she was featured in a Miller-McCune magazinearticle. You can read about all of Cajune’s educational achievements to get a better idea on why she received the Kellogg grant. Well deserved, indeed.

Jodi Rave