On Tuesday, the Oklahoma House approved a bill introduced by an OU alumna, allowing students to wear tribal regalia during high school and university graduation ceremonies.
Senate Bill 429 was introduced by Kamryn Yanchick, an OU alumna and former American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma intern.
Yanchick based the idea on her experience graduating high school in 2018. She said she was told she couldn’t bead her cap and adorn it with a feather.
American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma wrote the bill in conjunction with Sen. John Montgomery (R-Lawton) and Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton).
The bill was sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt for approval.
“I’m incredibly happy to see it passed and head over to the governor’s desk to be signed,” Yanchick told OU Daily. “It means so much to me to know that other Native students will have this law to support them, and that they won’t have to face the same pushback I did when I was a high school senior.”
Despite the bill’s passing, Yanchick believes there is still work to be done to respect Native American culture in schools.
“It’s still important that students, parents, and school administrators are aware of this law and that it is respected,” she said. “It’s also important that Native students feel supported and empowered in their decision to wear their regalia and items of cultural significance now that we have a law explicitly protecting that right.”
This story was edited by Alexia Aston and Jazz Wolfe. Nikkie Aisha and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
