Abstract
Events following a display of archival photographs depicting a Navajo Civil Rights march that was sponsored by One Book/One Community of San Juan College illuminated racial tensions and competing injustices in the community of Farmington, New Mexico.These events are analyzed through a paradigm, indigenous-sustaining literacy, which could benefit common reading programs that conduct literacy work in communities with populations of indigenous people or border Native American reservations and are seeking to decolonize community literacy practices O ne late November afternoon, five members of the One Book/One Community (OBOC) committee hung archival photos of the 1974 Civil Rights Protests in Farmington, New Mexico, in a gallery space on the campus of San Juan College, located in Farmington.Several students stopped to look the 26 poster-sized photos selected by the committee from the Bob Fitch Photography Archive Movements of Change.The display was part of the OBOC programming associated with the committee's selection of the graphic memoir March (Lewis et al.), a retelling of Congressman John Lewis's civil rights activism.The committee recognized that March could provide an interesting connection to the 1974 Civil Rights protests in Farmington that resulted from the minimal sentencing of three white teenagers who had murdered three Navajo men and provide an opportunity for students and community members to explore this legacy and their situatedness in the community.The photos were compelling.One photo showed protestors marching down Farmington's main street.Another depicted a Navajo man holding a cardboard sign that read "veteran WWII.Holder Purple Heart.My son was kill [sic] by a white boy on the reservation." Three of the photos depicted protestors holding upside down American flags.Other photos showed groups of Native Americans facing off with law enforcement.Onlookers identified relatives in the photos and expressed their gratitude for showcasing an important moment in local history.Others stated they had no idea that there had been civil rights protests in Farmington and were glad to learn about them through the display.One onlooker, though, was not supportive.He said that the committee should not hang any photos near the glass display located in the gallery that is dedicated to veterans.Committee members agreed with the man, citing the need to be respectful.Still, displeased, he asked why the committee was displaying the photos.(Danielle), the director of the OBOC committee, explained the historical nature of the photos and the connection to the OBOC selection.She also explained
- Journal
- Community Literacy Journal
- Published
- 2021-04-01
- DOI
- 10.25148/clj.15.2.009623
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