Chapter 13: Fostering Justice in an Unjust World: Stories Of Native American Women Professors

I have been a part of the academic world as a student and professor for 17 years. During that time, I have had several mentors who have guided me through the successes and perils of my education. Of those mentors, only one has been a Native American woman.¹ Even though my interests have been the experiences of Native women in academia, I have had few Native women to draw on for leadership, support, and a source of energy. I have reflected on and studied the importance of mentors from within the cultural community to which a student belongs. I have realized that the mentorship provided by ethnic people to ethnic students is vital to their development as scholars and professionals. For those who believe that a mentor of any race, ethnicity, or gender could be as effective a mentor as a Native woman (for instance, in my case), I would have to disagree.