FARMINGTON, N.M. — People took to social media to voice their outrage after a Farmington High School graduate was told to remove her cap, which was adorned with Native American beading and a feather during the school’s graduation ceremony on May 13.
The student is 17-year-old Genesis White Bull.
In an article published by KOAT 7, Genesis’ mother Brenda White Bull spoke about the incident.
According to Brenda, Genesis’ cap was adorned with tribal beads and cultural significance of the Hunkpapa Lakota, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North and South Dakota.
“We are Hunkpapa Lakota from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe up in North and South Dakota. When one of our members are graduating like this milestone for Genesis, it is rightfully so that we can practice our ways and it states it in the treaties that we are allowed to practice our religion and the way we practice it,” Brenda said.
Farmington High School addressed the public outcry in an initial statement May 16.
“District protocol states that the cap and gown must be worn, and their appearance may not be altered, which can be found in the 2023-2024 Student and Parent Handbook,” the statement read. “Students were informed throughout the school year and immediately before graduation of the protocol, including that beaded caps were not allowed. This standard process helps us set student attire during graduations. However, students are welcome to wear clothes of their choice, including traditional attire, under the graduation cap and gown and regalia, stoles, and feathers in their tassels.”
The school district went on to say that they would be working to refine their processes.
“While the staff involved were following district guidelines, we acknowledge this could have been handled differently and better,” the district stated. “Moving forward, we will work to refine our processes at the school level. The district is also committed to exploring the addition of a district policy that allows for additional appropriate cultural elements in student attire, including graduation caps and gowns.”
A day later, the Farmington Municipal Schools Superintendent Cody Diehl and the Farmington High School Principal Rocky Torres released a joint statement:
“Farmington Municipal Schools and Farmington High School would like to apologize to the community, the student, and her family, for the events at graduation involving the Native American regalia,” their statement said. “The intent, always, is to create a ceremony that is inclusive of all graduates and honors all of our students. It is clear that what occurred detracted from that and had the opposite effect. We are confident that our staff intended no disrespect or to violate anyone’s cultural beliefs or practices. In a community like ours, we need to have a new conversation about meaningful ways to best celebrate all of our graduates.”
Diehl and Torres said the district would collaborate with groups within the Navajo Nation and other community stakeholders to learn from the incident.
“To learn from this experience and to improve our school community, we will continue to collaborate with groups within the Navajo Nation and other community stakeholders to begin the healing process and figure out the best ways to move forward,” they said. “We are committed to learning from this experience and improving our school communities now and in the future.”
Senate Bill 80, which was signed into law in 2021, prohibits discrimination in schools based on hair or cultural headdress of a student.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham commented on the situation in a May 17 statement.
“In New Mexico, we are proud of and committed to our diversity, and what happened at the Farmington High School graduation ceremony does not reflect that commitment,” she stated. “It is unacceptable that a student was reprimanded for representing their culture during a time of celebration.”
The governor continued by praising the school’s acknowledgement of wrongdoing.
“I appreciate that the Farmington schools acknowledge that they could have handled this situation better and that their policy may be too restrictive,” she said. “However, it shouldn’t have required the student raising this issue for a school to recognize its lack of inclusivity.”
MARCHING IN PROTEST
Hundreds of people from all over New Mexico, both Native Americans and on-natives, flocked to Farmington to march in protest on May 18. The march route went from Bitsi Bay Park to the high school and back.
In an interview with KOB 4, Brenda spoke about her daughter’s courage when she was being told “no.”
“My daughter is very quiet and reserved but that day she spoke volumes throughout the world, and it still radiates today,” she said.
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