Under threat but undeterred: Cultivating Indigenous education amid political hostility

Abstract

Collaborators across North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and New Mexico are working to empower Indigenous students in STEM by connecting tribal communities, K–12 educators, higher education institutions, elders, and other cultural knowledge holders through the Cultivating Indigenous Research Communities for Leadership in Education and STEM (CIRCLES) Alliance. This piece describes the powerful work of the CIRCLES Alliance as well as the challenges of sustaining it under the constant threat of grant termination. The authors urge elected officials and policy makers to look beyond anti–diversity, equity, and inclusion rhetoric and recognize the value of CIRCLES and similar programs that support STEM in historically marginalized communities.