Sal Orlando, Assistant News Editor
Virginia college students who belong to federally-recognized indigenous tribes and reside outside the state will have to wait another year before state lawmakers again consider granting them eligibility for in-state tuition.
Citizens of federally-recognized Indigenous tribes in Virginia — such as the Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes — who live outside the state are not currently eligible for in-state tuition.
While the proposed update to the law was “laid on the table” in the Virginia House of Delegates and continued to 2027 in the Senate, both chambers did pass bills that create a board to advise state offices on the curriculums for African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino and Indigenous history in schools.
Both tuition benefits that match those of Virginia citizens and a greater curricular focus on their history in K-12 and higher education have been asks of Indigenous tribe leaders in the commonwealth, according to a previous report by The CT.
The former bill was unanimously recommended by the Commission on Updating Virginia Law to Reflect Federal Recognition of Virginia Tribes. Its passing would have granted students who are citizens or members of federally-recognized Virginia tribes eligibility for in-state tuition.
Cristina Stanciu is a scholar of indigenous and multiethnic literature and the director of the VCU Humanities Research Center. She noted there has been similar legislation in states like Hawaii, Oregon and Colorado that has been successful.
“For communities that have been systematically displaced and marginalized, especially after the passing of the Racial Integrity Act in 1924 in Virginia, every student who can access higher education in Virginia represents a vital connection to ancestral homelands and an investment in tribal futures,” Stanciu stated.
In subcommittee hearings, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and advocates of the bill went back-and-forth on exactly how many people it would affect and how many millions of dollars it would cost the state each year.
While some lawmakers believed roughly 80 students would benefit from the bill each year, advocates said that was a mistake, and in actuality that number was closer to 20. They said the bill was largely a symbolic gesture. Ultimately, its price tag was its downfall.
“We have a lot of needs right now that we’re trying to grapple with,” said Del. David Reid, D-Ashburn.
VCU takes steps to platform tribal leaders
Chickahominy Tribe Chief Stephen Adkins held a lecture last semester at VCU, calling for the university to teach a fuller version of Indigenous history and create more opportunities for Indigenous students.
Adkins mentioned in his lecture that state-funded universities should provide reduced tuition to Indigenous students aspiring to attend school.
VCU launched the Indigenous Elder in Residence Program last month in collaboration with Robert Gray, the former chief of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.
“Robert Gray’s residency is designed to reach students through multiple touchpoints. He visits classrooms across disciplines, meets with students, faculty and staff individually and in group settings, and delivers public talks,” Stanciu stated.
VCU’s Humanities Research Center created the “On Native Ground” initiative in 2020 and has collaborated with local Indigenous communities on a series of projects since.
The purpose of the initiative is to “Indigenize curriculum and build meaningful collaborations with local Indigenous communities,” according to Stanciu.
Stanciu stated the initiative works with local tribes to build a strong network between VCU and Native communities.
Last year, the Humanities Research Center launched the Indigenous Humanities Lab, which was supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation. The lab combines academic scholarship with community-based knowledge by integrating the approaches and voices of Indigenous people, according to Stanciu.
“The lab creates vital spaces for collaboration between our scholars, students, and Virginia’s tribal nations, fostering meaningful relationships that transcend traditional academic boundaries,” Stanciu stated.
Stanciu does not recall any similar initiatives prior to the launch of “On Native Ground,” but there may have been pockets of research.
The Humanities Research Center’s activities involving Indigenous culture and communities include co-leading an international symposium on Indigenous Print Cultures, Media and Literatures, partnering with the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival and establishing the Karenne Wood Native Writer/Artist Residency program.
Gregory Smithers, professor of Native American history, believes the bill would be a positive step, but lawmakers must consider legislation that is restorative of past injustices and present-day inequalities when dealing with democracy strengthening policies.
“In the case of Native communities, such policies should include free tuition for members of federally-recognized tribes in Virginia,” Smithers stated. “Having highly educated and skilled Indigenous Virginians will strengthen both the commonwealth’s economy and reinforce the state’s democratic foundations, while at the same time nurturing the dynamism of sovereign Native communities in Virginia.”
United Native Voices secretary Rilee Langston believes initiatives like the Robert Gray residency are important for spreading the knowledge and education about Native history and modern lives.
“One difficulty we frequently face is building community and relationships from the ground up,” Langston stated. “For ourselves and many other Natives, we come from places of strong community and partnership and coming to a university, especially one where it seems that you’re the only person of your culture, can be intimidating. This leads to a lack of visibility.”
Langston noted that Indigenous students would like more opportunities to take classes emphasizing Indigenous culture and achievements.
“Many people are stuck seeing Indigenous people in westerns, or that once awkward scene from ‘Peter Pan,’” Langston added. “We are a people who are alive and thriving, we have our own fashion weeks, music awards, favorite Indigenous celebrities and athletes, etc.”
Zane Bernard, a fourth-year economics student, thinks VCU needs to become less adverse to risks that are not quantifiable monetarily, specifically by sponsoring more Indigenous art and artists.
“I’m coming from a background in natural resources, where I spent a lot of time in the Pacific Northwest, and what I really miss about Southeast Alaska in particular is how present the material culture of Indigenous communities is,” Bernard said.
Denaya Givens, a fourth-year interdisciplinary studies student, noted a time she was asked by an individual who grew up in their Diné culture asking how they got to college.
“I thought, ‘wow what an ignorant thing to say, do you think I’m the first Native to ever go to college?’ Questions like those, even though they are hurtful to me, come from not being educated and having a single story of what it is to be ‘Native,’ and that’s okay, you just have to teach and move on,” Givens stated.