Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed
When Oglala Lakota educator Robert Cook’s son came to him asking for a violin to play in the school orchestra, he told him the family didn’t have the money for the instrument. But the Johnson-O’Malley Program in their tribe was able to provide the funds for the instrument, creating a lifelong musician. Since 1934 the JOM has provided funding for American Indian and Alaska Native students in public school. The money provides school supplies, cultural activities and other enrichment for Native students. The Trump administration’s latest budget proposal includes eliminating the JOM program. We’ll talk about the program and efforts to save the funding.
Guests:
Robert Cook (Oglala Lakota) – national senior managing director of the Native Alliance at Teach for America
Avis Ballard (Osage) – JOM coordinator for the Osage Nation Education Department
Carla Mann (Blackfeet/Eastern Shoshone) – president of the National Johnson-O’Malley Association
Mark Vance (Cherokee Nation) – manager of the JOM program for the Cherokee Nation and vice president of National JOM
Break Music: We’re Gunna Dance (song) Niizhoo Sullivan (artist) Rez Kid Rhythm (album)
