By AJ McClanahan, CIRI Historian

Last month, "Growing Up Native in Alaska" was well received during the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention, and direct sales of the book by The CIRI Foundation were boosted by several speakers who cited the book in their remarks.

"We were very lucky we were allowed to provide the book for sale during the convention," said Susan Anderson, president and CEO of The CIRI Foundation. Since AFN provided a grant to fund printing the book, allowing the sales to take place during the convention was a partnership effort by The CIRI Foundation and AFN.

Anderson said the book, which was offered for sale along with other publications, was a popular item at both the regular Convention and the pre-AFN Youth Convention.

"A lot of people looked at the pictures on the back and said, 'Oh, that's my cousin,' or 'I went to school with that person'," said Anderson.

She also notes that comments by Sealaska Heritage Foundation President Rosita Worl were particularly powerful in sparking interest in the book. Worl moderated the "2001 World Conference on Racism," and in her remarks she pointed out that many of the 27 participants featured in the book had faced racism and discrimination in their own lives. Worl stressed, however, that the book not only included discussions of racism, but that it offered a message of hope.
The book was also discussed in detail during a presentation to the AFN Convention by the Alaska Native Professionals Association. ANPA officers included Roberta J. "Bobbi" Quintavell and Deborah Vo in their presentation. Quintavell and Vo discussed their backgrounds and reasons for participating in the book.

Anderson said the Foundation has not had a table during the AFN Convention in the past, but that she hopes it will become an annual event. "Besides giving us a chance to feature some of our books, we were able to provide scholarship information to many people," she said. "And we did find CIRI descendants who didn't realize they were eligible for scholarships. Also, through the ANCSA Education Consortium, we provided many people with contact information for the other 12 regional education foundations or funds."

Anderson also said the Foundation took a lead role in an education workshop presented during the AFN Youth Convention called Pathways to Higher Education. Paneen Petersen, program officer for The CIRI Foundation, and Rick Waters, program director of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program and the American Indian College Fund, joined panelists from the University of Alaska Anchorage, including Barb Fleek, Connie Fuess, Willy Templeton, Mary Sue Anderson, and Marcie Kugzruk.

The CIRI Foundation also assisted in organizing a panel during the AFN Convention entitled "The Circle of Life and Learning, Indigenous Peoples," moderated by the ANCSA Education Consortium and the First Alaskans Foundation.

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