DATA MATTERS: A DAY OF STRUGGLE, A MOMENT OF TRUTH

Op-Ed By Marcos Aguilar and Minnie Ferguson, Co-Founders, Anawakalmekak

On this day of struggle, we pause to sit with the data—because data matters, especially when it tells a story that is both powerful and incomplete.

For the first time in its history, Los Angeles Unified School District reports that in 2025, 100% of American Indian seniors graduated from high school. That is a milestone worth acknowledging, honoring, and protecting. Of the 23 American Indian seniors in the entire district, 12 were participants in our Native Ways 2 College program. This outcome reflects years of collective, community-driven work to ensure that American Indian students are not invisible in systems that were never designed with them in mind.

We want to take a moment to recognize the many partners who made this possible. This achievement belongs to the broader #IENCoalition, including:

• Tzicatl’s Native Ways 2 College Initiative
• The Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation of Southern California
• California Native Vote Project
• UCLA American Indian Studies Center
• Tataviam Education & Cultural Learning Department
• Pukuu Cultural Community Services
• Anawakalmekak
• and many others who continue to show up with commitment and care.

This is what happens when community collaborates with intention.

And yet—this is not the end of the story.

While graduation matters, college preparation and readiness matters just as much. The same data shows that only slightly more than half of American Indian students were prepared for college. When the total number of American Indian seniors across the entire district is just 23students, every outcome carries enormous weight—and every gap represents both a failure of the system and a call to action.

We cannot accept a reality where American Indian students graduate without being fully prepared for what comes next. We cannot accept invisibility masked as progress. And we cannot accept systems that celebrate minimum thresholds while leaving students behind.

The data tells us something important: When American Indian students are supported through culturally grounded, community-based programs, outcomes improve. But it also tells us that the work is far from finished.

This moment challenges all of us, educators, families, policymakers, and supporters, to do better.

We Can Do Better. And We Must.

Call to Action

• Families: Stay engaged, ask questions, and demand systems that prepare your children not just to graduate, but to thrive beyond graduation.
  
• Supporters and partners: Continue investing in programs that are proven, community-led, and accountable.
  
• Policymakers and educational leaders: Look closely at the data, andat the scale. Twenty-three students should never be an afterthought.Equity requires intention, alignment, and the courage to supportwhat works.

At Anawakalmekak, we remain committed to building pathways that honor identity, prepare students for college, and refuse invisibility as an acceptable outcome.

The data matters.
The students matter.
And the work continues.