A bill vetoed this month by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt would have allowed public school students to wear feathers, beaded caps, stoles or other objects of cultural and religious significance at graduation; the governor says he is preventing a chaos of nonconformity at the ceremonies, while Native American students say once-size-fits all ignores the tremendous cultural and religious significance of life-changing transitions like graduation. The ability to “unapologetically express yourself and take pride in your culture at a celebration without having to ask a non-Native person for permission to do so is really significant,” said Kamryn Yanchick, a Seminole. Native American policy advocate and former intern with the American Civil Liberties Union. Almost a dozen states have the opposite law, preventing school officials from banning Native American costumes. Other Native nations have supported Yanchik, including Cherokees, Muskogees and Navajos. Graduating seniors say they’re glad the legislature had the support to pass the bill, and they’ll hope for a better outcome with the governor. (Rick Bowmer/AP)
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