The Lives of Native Americans at Logan

Throughout Logan, there are multiple cultures represented, in both the murals of our halls and in the courses in our classrooms. However, there are barely any that represent Native Americans. The Native American students at James Logan do not have any representation; why?   

Logan is a very diverse school. According to the demographic information from the James Logan website, there are 60 countries represented and over 45 languages spoken on the Logan campus. There is a sense of pride the students and staff have because of the diversity of the school. James Logan is well known for its  Ethnic Studies department. The school has been teaching a variety of Ethnic Studies classes since the early 1970s and requires an Ethnic Studies class for graduation. However, not all ethnicities have their own classes. One group without a class is Native Americans. 

“We don’t have a lot of representation right now on our campus,”  said Abhi Brar, James Logan Principal, on the subject of Native American representation.  When asked if there should be a class for Native Americans at Logan, Mr. Brar explained that classes are chosen based on “what is requested from the student body.” If Logan students were to request a class for Native Americans, Logan administration would find a way to address it, Brar said.

“Logan is a mixture of all nationalities,” said Yvonne Hull, House Two Principal.  However, in regards to representation, Ms. Hull believes, “there needs to be more representation” and “there’s room for improvement.” Although currently, Logan does not have much representation for Native Americans, in the future, there could be more. 

Historically, the indigenous tribes and nations of the Americas have been overlooked, underrepresented, and forgotten. This is part of a much larger issue of the lack of Native American representation in education, not just here at Logan, but in the world around us. The original inhabitants of the Bay Area, the Ohlone, have a college here and not much else. There are barely any Native American celebrities or public figures. In fact, throughout the history of Hollywood, Native American characters have been portrayed by other races, most recently Asians and Caucasians.

“I think that it (Native Americans) is one of the races that isn’t represented enough,” Junior Iliana Beltran, a Native American, said. “Native Americans are one group that was here since the beginning, and they (the school) don’t address it.” Beltran points out that though Native Americans have been in America since before it was America, other racial or ethnic groups receive more representation at Logan.

Certainly, the ethnic percentages are a factor in the choices for classes. In 2018, the percentage of students who identified as Native American/Alaska Native was 0.5 percent, according to the school’s reported data. There is also some curriculum for Native Americans in other ethnic studies classes as well as some history classes. However, there are some groups of students that don’t feel as if they are adequately seen.

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