Learning to Survive

Traces the experiences of Yurok high school students and educators as they navigate between Native and non-Native spaces

Learning to Survive explores how Native American youth are impacted by formal educational experiences, through the insights of students and teachers working to revitalize the Yurok language. Sharing stories of Native American resilience amidst toxic school and community cultures, Mneesha Gellman examines the consequences of the misrepresentation and suppression of Indigenous culture in secondary education.

Through personal testimonies and interviews from Northern California high schools, Gellman traces the experiences of students as they navigate their own identities between Native and non-Native spaces, and of educators who relate their efforts in providing their students with not just language instruction, but a sense of support and community that goes beyond the classroom. Students and teachers alike detail how they struggle to thrive under systems of white supremacy while protecting and preserving their identity and culture, particularly through the work of language education and language-keeping.

Learning to Survive highlights the profound harm done by perpetuating White supremacy and the importance of investing in culturally sustaining curricula. Youth well-being suffers when students are faced with hostile school environments and when they do not see themselves or their communities truthfully or positively represented in curricula. This book calls on adults—policymakers, teachers, families, and others—to consider what changes we can and should make in our daily work to promote Native American well-being in schools.

Author Biography

Mneesha Gellman is Associate Professor of Political Science at Emerson College.