Yale Daily News

Updated: Sunday, March 14, 2010 6:11 a.m.

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Number of American Indian profs doubles — from one to two

Staff Reporter
Published Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Last year, the University had 2,744 faculty members who were white. One-hundred-twenty were black, and 93 were Hispanic. Six hundred and six were Asian, and only one was Native American.
That number has since doubled, due to the hiring of Ned Blackhawk, a history professor from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who joined Yale’s History and American Studies departments this semester. Faculty and students said Blackhawk could contribute significantly to Native American studies at Yale and could raise the profile of the University’s small Native American community.
Blackhawk...

#1 By Amanda Rockman 11:14a.m. on September 23, 2009

Wisconsin will miss you. Nonetheless, congratulations Professor Blackhawk and Professor Rasmussen!

#2 By Jack Woods 4:02p.m. on September 23, 2009

As a member of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada I am proud to read about Profess. Blackhawk working in one of best hiher Ed place. continue on with your good work.

#3 By CJD 6:30p.m. on September 23, 2009

I wish that college newspapers would portray my people for their talent, ability and knowledge, not for the color of their skin.

#4 By '12 11:14p.m. on September 23, 2009

CJD, I feel like this is about "color of skin" purely to the extent that it is necessary to expose a lack of diversity. 2 professors out of 3,619?!?!! COME ON!

#5 By CJD 9:52a.m. on September 24, 2009

'12 I think it's meant to be about diversity too but you can't educate all of us overnight. It can take decades to produce enough people of whatever minority to populate these spaces. Plus this juxtaposition of being Native American and contributing to American Studies is too close to suggesting that you have to be one to truly know it. Claims based on insider knowledge are not open to scholarly criticism.

#6 By '00 12:43a.m. on September 25, 2009

@CJD: Have you ever taken a course in any kind of ethnic studies? Or do you just assume that such courses are all about "insider knowledge" based on group identity?

If you bothered to take seriously this part of Yale's academic enterprise, you'd learn something. You might even learn why a professor like Blackhawk chose to go into the field he did.

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