On October 3rd, representatives from the Urban Native Education Alliance and Clear Sky met up with Bishop Blanchet High School officials to sign a memorandum of understanding, which has been in the works for years.
The school’s relationship with the UNEA started around a decade ago, when Mr. McFeron first reached out to Sarah after seeing a road sign advertisement and realized the importance of building a strong bond with Native communities, especially considering the negative historical impacts of Catholic institutions against Native American people.
With the help of the UNEA and Clear Sky, Blanchet has been able to create a safer space for Native people through several measures. Some examples of the work they have done together was changing the school’s moniker from The Braves, a racist and stereotypical mascot, to The Bears. They have also helped to create the land acknowledgement, an ode to the history of the land we live on today, as well as working with Haida and Coast Salish artist Tommy Seguno to install a land acknowledgement mural in the first floor hallway.
The memorandum of understanding was first created in 2023 by members of the Legacy Council, a club ran by Mr. McFeron. Samuel Hartin Pasco, class of ’25, was a member of Legacy Council for all four years of his high school career. When asked about the purpose of the memorandum, he said, “[the goal of the memorandum is] to maintain the relationship that we formed with Clear Sky, and to continue to enhance the representation and education within Blanchet.”
The event started off with speeches, mainly from Sarah and President D’Sapio, which outlined the importance of the event. These speeches were followed by touching musical performances by the UNEA and Clear Sky members, created with their drums and voices. As the songs came to a close, Sarah and D’Sapio finally sat down to officially sign the memorandum, followed by the Legacy Council members, including the students. The night ended with a delicious serving of tamales with rice and beans, along with a beautiful celebration cake.
The singing of this memorandum is more than just a piece of paper, but rather a permanent reminder of the importance of tolerance and understanding as a Catholic institution, especially towards Native Americans. This event hopefully marks a future of education and communication between Bishop Blanchet and the Seattle Native community.
