QuoteFor those who did encounter her directly, you can probably agree with criticisms and observations that she was abrasive, borderline abusive, and received a seemingly endless amount of grace from Evergreen administration due to her identity as a Native woman. She often excused her behavior by saying she was just a "strong Native woman" and blamed others/implied others were racist for not knowing how to accept or deal with her behavior.
There are many, many stories about her berating her students and screaming at her teaching assistants. My first day at Evergreen, I watched her berate two students assisting her, screaming at them, in front of hundreds of onlookers. Nobody did anything. It was accepted behavior from her.
It's hard to put into words just how abusive she could be.
QuoteLumbee Voters Reject Casino Amendment in Landmark Tribal Election
by Levi Rickert June 24, 2026
Citizens of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina voted Tuesday to reject a constitutional amendment that would have cleared the way for tribal gaming and a proposed casino resort development in Robeson County, dealing a significant setback to tribal leaders who had promoted gaming as a pathway to economic sovereignty and long-term prosperity.
According to election results reported Tuesday night, approximately 62 percent of participating voters opposed the amendment, while 38 percent voted in favor. The measure represented the first major tribal vote since the Lumbee Tribe achieved full federal recognition in December 2025.
[...]
Following the vote, Tribal Chairman John Lowery expressed disappointment with the outcome but acknowledged the decision of tribal voters.
"Tonight, a majority of the Lumbee people have spoken, and they have said no to progress and have decided to stay with the status quo or simply staying with the way things are," Lowery said in a statement following the election.
Lowery had been one of the amendment's strongest advocates, arguing that gaming could provide a transformational economic opportunity for the tribe and surrounding region. Prior to the election, he described gaming as a means of achieving "economic sovereignty" through a tribally owned enterprise.
QuoteDepartment of Defense removes Native American Religion distinction, groups as 'other'
A list of recognized religion codes used by military chaplains to aid service members has been reduced from over 200 to just 31 Amelia Schafer ICT
The U.S. Department of Defense drastically reduced the number of recognized religions it observes from roughly 211 to just 31, following a memorandum issued by the Under Secretary of War, Elbridge A. Colby, and signed by Anthony Tata on May 20.
Native American religion, a term used to classify traditional Indigenous faiths, was among the 180 recognized faiths removed from a list of codes used by the Department of Defense. Religious Affiliation Codes are used in the creation of "dog tags" worn by active duty members as well as given to military chaplains to aid them in providing religious support needs. Aside from dog tags, religious information is used in the creation of headstones for service members.
The removal of a distinct code for Native American faiths does not mean Native religious practices will no longer be protected or recognized, it just means there is no separate distinct category to select, grouping them instead with all "other" category religions.
It's unclear if this move is a violation of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act as the religion itself will still technically be recognized through the "other" category, just not in the form of a distinct, separate category. What could happen is a potential impact to the availability of tailored religion-specific resources from chaplains, though that aspect is also uncertain at this point.
The removal of a distinct Native American religious code falls in stark contrast to the overwhelming number of American Indian and Alaska Native service members, who serve at five times the national average and have served in every major conflict for over 200 years.
The distinctions removal also means that Native Americans are once again placed in the "other" category, said Frances Dupris, a Sicangu Lakota/Northern Arapaho veteran who served 24 years in the Air Force. Dupris was a United States Air Force Master Sargent.
Quote"We did not identify at all as Hindus growing up in Butler's group," wrote Koviak, who attended the SIF boarding school in the Philippines for four and a half years. "That's a new thing that really fits in with the Tulsi agenda."