Important stories from oppressed minorities have been largely left out of our history books, a panel of speakers said yesterday. More than a hundred patrons filled the Wyoming Union Family Room for Telling of the Untold Stories of Wyoming’s People lunch panel. The event, part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue, was comprised of a panel made up of three guests from three disparate yet connected areas of Wyoming.
Katie Hogerty represented CLIMB Wyoming, Melvin Arthur spoke on the behalf of the Northern Arapaho tribe and Phil Roberts presented a history of Japanese-Americans and the Heart Mountain Interment camp.
Gina Graziano, graduate student in Natural Science Education and Environmental Resources, said the event is about bringing unknown and untold history to light.
“The event was created to expand our knowledge about the state of Wyoming and the people who have lived or currently live here,” Graziano said. “Goals of the week’s programming include raising awareness of diversity issues, building a sense of community and celebrating diversity.”
Graziano introduced the panelists and had them introduce each of their respective representations. Hogerty, Program Director for the Laramie office of CLIMB Wyoming, said she hopes to bring notoriety to the program. CLIMB Wyoming is a non-profit organization that provides struggling single mothers opportunities to succeed in the workforce and at home.
“When I first started with CLIMB, I was amazed to learn that there were 900 single mother families just here in Albany county,” Hogerty said. She added that with 20 women a year benefiting from the efforts of CLIMB, the number is diminishing.
“We have 95% of our participants graduating,” she said.
Where CLIMB has been a positive addition to the Wyoming community for the past 30 years, Melvin Arthur’s contribution encompassed generations of struggle. Arthur, Kinesiology and Health graduate student and member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, presented the audience with a brief history of his tribe, also describing the obstacles and oppression they have been dealt in the past. Many problems still persist today, he said, such as alcoholism and disagreements over land. He expressed his concern that discrimination and injustice are still prevalent in and around the Wind River Indian Reservation and needs to be addressed.
Roberts seamlessly transitioned from Arthur’s discourse on prejudice to his own on the Japanese-American history; particular focus was put on Wyoming’s Heart Mountain. Although the Japanese-Americans did not suffer the same injustices as some of the northern Native Americans, the onset of the World War II had these people uprooted and put on trains to one of five internment camps around the country. The Heart Mountain Relocation Center is now a distant memory to many, but a question mark to most, Roberts said. He said there were upwards of 10,000 of these detainees at the center at one point.
This injustice, he said, was not easily forgotten. Over half a century later, Roberts reminded the audience that whether it be the history of the Arapahoe, the Japanese-Americans or the single mothers of Wyoming, the stories of these people must be told. Past events are soon forgotten, he said, and with each generation a gap is created.
“History is important to remember,” Roberts said. “It can aid in our [working toward embodying] our motto as the Equality State.”
Graziano pointed out that the stories told at the event are the ones you do not see in the history books. The three panelists all expressed their hope for an effort to keep these untold stories alive. They also expressed hope to move forward.
“Injustice has taken place and people have been marginalized,” Graziano said. “ [I hope] this event inspires people to find the real facts, and how to break down the barriers and move forward toward social justice.”
