Identity's Power: My Journey to Uncovering My Native American History | Ronnie Stephens | TEDxUTulsa
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Understanding one’s heritage is a crucial step towards forming a personal identity and story. Learning about a hidden heritage later in life can be shocking, but it paves the way for greater self-discovery and actualization. In this talk, Ronnie guides us through his path of embracing his Quapaw heritage after a tragedy, seeking out his own familial history, and recognizing that identity is essential for all of us. So let’s find it together. Ronnie Stephens is a senior business leader who has over 25 years of experience in engineering, teaching, and project management, with a rich history of success across five continents. From exploring the Indigenous history of New Zealand, to providing solutions at a leading North American energy company, Ronnie's mission has always been to foster innovative project management processes, while cultivating teams grounded in respect, trust, and communication.
Ronnie's professional achievements align with his personal heritage as a proud member of the Quapaw tribe of Oklahoma. This identity shapes his perspective and leadership, driving his passion for advancing Native American education and mentoring, and his dedication to diversity and inclusion in every aspect of life. Through his work with the Tulsa Native American Day committee, and his ventures into podcasting, Ronnie opens dialogue on leadership, inclusion, and building an organization of trust. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
The idea of interviewing family members about their history is fantastic. It's a simple yet powerful way to connect with and preserve our past while also honoring our ancestors. I'm really excited to see what kind of stories pop up, thank you.
I appreciate how you highlighted the importance of learning our family's stories. It's something we all can do to keep our history alive.
It's clear that understanding our family history can lead to a greater sense of identity and purpose. Thank you for sharing your journey.
The concept of a Legacy Journey is beautiful. It shows how our personal histories are intertwined with larger historical narratives and I think that gives us a greater sense of self worth and esteem
Your great-grandfather's letters from President Grover Cleveland are a piece of history that should be preserved and shared. What a find!
The statistics about Native American students dropping out of college and not having degrees is shocking. There truly was so much damage done to them and we need more programs to support and empower these communities.
The statistics you shared about Native American education are alarming.... I agree we need to create more opportunities and support for these communities
The mention of diversity and inclusion being about embracing uniqueness is spot on. We need to celebrate what makes each culture unique
The part about your dad's diagnosis and the urgency to uncover your family history was so moving. It reminds me of all the reasons why connecting with our roots is so important
Thank you. While it was painful and not something I wanted to have happen, it was incredibly powerful being able to have so many conversations with him about life and growing up. I just wished he could have seen some of the additional documents I was able to find. I also think every day about how I should have recorded some of our conversations, so my kids and other family members could have heard his stories.
I love the idea of recording family stories. It's something I wish I had done with my grandparents. We need to preserve these memories for future generations and also ourselves in times of crisis.
Thank you for the comment and I absolutely agree with you. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I would have recorded some conversations with my dad.
The quote by Marcus Garvey really resonated with me. Without understanding our past, we are lost. We need to cherish and learn from our history.
Thank you for the comment. It's one of my favorite quotes and resonates really well with me as well. I agree we can learn so much from our history, and just by asking a few simple questions, it can be life changing.
The personal connection you shared with your dad and your family history is so touching. I think it shows how important it is to understand where we come from.
Thank you. While a big part of my talk is on Native American's, you are absolutely right. There are so many family members I wish I had a chance to go back and ask questions and interview them. The fact I had a chance to spend 1.5 years with my dad after his diagnosis was so powerful, it did change my life and my perspective.
Identity is such a complicated thing, especially for those who have had such a large part of it taken away.
Your story about finding the documents in your grandma's Bible was fascinating. It's amazing what we can uncover about our heritage with a bit of digging!
I agree - If we hadn't find those documents, there's no telling how long it would have taken to research my family and i would have not know to ask many of the questions I ended up asking trying to both understand and get answers. When you are interviewing your family, a great question to ask is " do we have any cool articles, heirlooms or artifacts to go with our stories.
Great job sharing from your life and family experience. It's heart-breaking and shameful to think about the ways Native Americans have been mistreated. I'm glad we have leaders with character like you who can help change the narrative! I love the challenging action steps you have at the end!
Thank you, Sean, I appreciate your feedback and friendship. It's been a powerful and learning experience doing the talk, and I'm glad you felt inspired by the call-to-action steps in the talk!
It's amazing to hear about the efforts to create a supportive culture for Native American youth. Mentoring and internships can make a huge difference in terms of how shaping a persons identity.
I agree that mentoring and internships are two of the best ways to not only impart knowledge, but to change someone's life. Having someone you feel comfortable asking questions, especially when they have been in the same situation (or similar), has made an invaluable impact on not only myself, but many of my friends. Thank you for sharing.
Congrats Ronnie! Excellent talk, great information.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Proud of you & your journey!
Thanks for all your support!!!
Great job Ronnie. Not just what you presented and how you presented, but starting the journey and feeding your passion to learn. Your courage and confidence to pursue the past and share it is inspiring. Thanks!
Thank you fort he heartfelt comment. I originally wasn't sure how people would respond to my story, but have been surprised and encouraged by the positive feedback and comments.
This is Awesome!! As of 9/9/24 you've hit 55,000+ views with over 11,000 likes!! What a fantastic response!
Thanks Adam and thanks for all your support along this journey. Your many hours of listening to me rehearse and providing feedback was invaluable!!!
Hearing about the challenges faced by Native Americans with land rights and relocation was both enlightening and distressing. I guarantee not many people know about it either and that's also pretty sad.
I found the part about addiction and identity problems in Native American communities very compelling, especially when you consider that addiction is often stemmed from loneliness or lack of proper connection
I agree. I think historically you read about many Native Americans and alcohol addiction, but i think much of this was due to policies of the US government. Im hoping through education, community engagement and counseling programs we can begin to address and eliminate addiction issues
Wow, I never knew Garth Brooks was so down-to-earth! It's crazy how different celebrities can be from their public personas.
Yes, I live North of Tulsa and Garth lived in our area for several years raising his girls. It was pretty common to see him at Subway or the soccer fields, just never had many personal interactions with him. He was always dressed like everyone else, and wearing a baseball cap.
I agree empowering the youth could lead to lasting change and creating a culture of education and job training is a really good way to go about that.
Thanks fort the feedback. It's a long road, but i am starting to see progress with a lot of tribes and organizations
I agree what what he says about knowing someone's story in order to understand them, and I think that's why it's so important to act with compassion and empathy towards everyone because the chances of actually getting to hear someone's story before your actions affect them is pretty damn low
It's incredible that there are 574 federally recognized Native American tribes in the U.S. Each with their own rich history and culture. Can't help but wonder how many there were before colonization though...
This is really powerful. I think this talk would resonate with a lot of people, there are so many identity issues in this country that I feel even the country itself struggles
Thanks for the comment and I agree. We turn on the TV or look at social media, and its not just Native Americans but many people, cultures and diverse groups across the country. I would love to hear anyone's ideas on how we keep the conversation going, and create a safe place to have those discussions.
@@RonnieStephens-OK I would love that too. I think just rejecting the narrative that is pushed on us to be scared of one another is a good place to start
The fact that Native American history is so underrepresented in schools is a disservice to all of us. We need a more inclusive curriculum. How else will people come to understand what this country was _actually_ founded on?
What he says about being forced to choose between their culture and assimilation just breaks my heart. Such an unfair thing to ask of people.
Amazing talk. America needs to get the history of the original people of America out in the public. I thank Ronnie for taking the time to educate all of us a bit about the history and injustice suffered by many Native Indians.
Thank you, I was shocked when I learned how many states and different schools don't include this in their curriculum or American history,
I can't believe that about having the competency hearings after being given land. It seems so cruel to give it just to take it away AGAIN like they hadn't already had enough taken from them
I was shocked to learn that Native Americans weren't considered citizens until 1924. That's really not that long ago and in terms of the progress that's been made since then like damn we still have such a long way to go
I agree. 100 years this past June, which like you mentioned - is not that long ago. I'm hoping by starting to have conversations and acknowledgement, it begins to change the narrative. Education and food sovereignty are two very real issues we continue to try and address.
That seems so wrong. Those are very basic needs and I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for them to still not be fulfilled at an acceptable level
Yup, we don't get taught even a snippet of what colonization was like and the ways it impacted indigenous communities that are STILL an issue and how all of it affects the cultural identity of the country.
I agree, I struggle with how to get the history of Native Americans into our US history or regional history classes. I agree it is still an issue today in being open and discussing how Native Americans were treated from the later 1800's until today. I would love to hear ideas on how we might better create curriculum or key points of conversation and spread that to a much larger audience.
I can't believe the struggles Native Americans had to go through with land allotment and competency hearings. It's really infuriating how unjust that system was.
I agree. I was surprised and angry when I started studying land allotment and the Dawes act. To me, just as important is we don't talk about it or teach about it as part of our history. It's ok to not agree with something, but I believe in teaching and talking about so everyone learns and decide to read more about it or get more involved.
@@RonnieStephens-OK Definitely, even just for peoples individual understanding of what happened, and what our Native Peoples have gone through
I never realized how much Native American history is missing from our education system. It's a disservice to everyone not to learn about these crucial parts of our history.
I agree - I was stunned at how little we are taught in schools and even more by the fact that it's just not something we talk about. I understand the challenges, but truly believe that the first step in healing and moving forward is having open and honest conversations.
Yup I'll never get over how shocked I was when I learnt the true history of colonization in this country. Just shocking and disqusting.
It's sad that so many Native American students face barriers in education. More needs to be done to create an inclusive and supportive environment.
I agree. I'm hoping we gain momentum and can educate those in our communities and open up conversations, mentorships, and even intern opportunites.
@@RonnieStephens-OK exactly, I support that.
@@discofevernow Hoping to figure out how to get more people engaged and some mentorships set up. Love to hear what has worked for other people.
1st comment
It still really bugs me how much we assume about people based on appearances. We should all take a step back and try to understand each other's stories instead
I completely agree with you and It's something I even have to work on every day. The power of someone's story and the journey they have been on is everything.
The statistic about 40% of first-year Native American students dropping out of college is awful. We desperately need more support systems for them.
I agree. When i first read the statistic i was stunned. I think costs of tuition, moving away from family and the need to many times help with the family are some of the things that drive this. I’m hoping with educational presentations - especially around STEM programs and mentoring we can radically reduce this number.
@@RonnieStephens-OK agree
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