Native Forward to Celebrate 50 Years of Creating Higher Education Access for Native Students, Induct Indigenous Leaders Into Hall of Fame

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland; Cherokee Nation Delegate to U.S. Congress Kim Teehee; and Advocate Dr. Henrietta Mann will be among the honorees at Washington D.C. ceremony this month

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Native Forward Scholars Fund, previously known as American Indian Graduate Center, the oldest and largest direct scholarship provider to Native scholars in the U.S., will celebrate its 50th anniversary on February 22 with a gala at the National Museum of the American Indian in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

The organization will induct inaugural influential Native leaders – the first three of whom are Native Forward alumni and scholarship recipients – into its Hall of Fame:

• Deb Haaland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
• Kim Teehee, Cherokee Nation Delegate to U.S. Congress 
• Dr. Henrietta Mann, Advocate and Professor, "the Native Maya Angelou"
• Robert Bennett (1912-2002), Legal Advocate, former Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Native Forward co-founder
• John Rainer (1942-2011), Executive Director of National Congress of American Indians, Native Forward co-founder

Native Forward has empowered over 20,000 Indigenous students from over 500 Tribes in all 50 states with financial aid, as well as holistic support throughout their college journeys. The organization is now in its 53rd year (its 50th anniversary celebration was originally postponed due to Covid) of creating access to higher education for generations of Indigenous scholars for whom finances are a barrier to pursuing their academic and professional aspirations. 

"We are marking this momentous occasion by honoring and celebrating our legacy," said Angelique Albert (Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes), CEO of Native Forward. "Native Forward was founded on the belief that all Native people deserve higher education; the legacy of our founders continues today and has helped us become the premier national resource for funding for Native scholars. This historic anniversary event will honor the legacy that began in 1969. This special evening is dedicated to our founders, inaugural Hall of Fame inductees, and those who continue to make impacts in and for Indian Country."

Event Details:

What: Reception, Silent Auction, Dinner, Live Music & Cocktails
When: February 22, 2023; 7 pm - 10 pm ET
Where: National Museum of the American Indian in the Smithsonian Institution
Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20560

Media RSVP: [email protected]; 213.500.9142

Native Forward Scholars Fund is the largest direct scholarship provider to Native scholars in the U.S. It is committed to ensuring that every Native student who wants to pursue higher education is able to do so. For over 53 years, the organization has empowered over 20,000 scholars from more than 500 Tribes in all 50 states and contributed to over 1,600 law degrees and more than 2,200 Ph.D. degrees. Through scholarship funding and holistic support, Native Forward has increased the graduation rates of undergraduate students to 69% – compared to the national average of 41% for Native students – and has increased the rate for graduate students to 95%. Visit NativeForward.org

Contact: Jason Mandell
213.500.9142; [email protected]

SOURCE Native Forward Scholars Fund