Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/381166
Feature She is also a winner of the CTA Amer- ican Indian/Alaska Native Human Rights Award. Carmelo received the award for demonstrating leadership and commitment in equal educational opportunity, eliminating stereotypes and preserving cultural heritage, traditions and values. She's the Indian Education Specialist for the Shasta Union High School District, which includes elementary schools in the Redding/Shasta area. A classified employee, she is a Shasta Secondary Education Associ- ation member. The first thing people notice is the tribal tattoo on her face. "I put a lot thought, prayer and time into this," she says. "I had seen pictures of women with tattoos, and knew I would eventually get one. It's my commitment to my culture, my family and all the people who have made so many sacrifices. It's very personal for me." Carmelo made news in 2012 when her son was the victim of a hate crime in the Shasta Lake area. A man attacked her son as he skateboarded by his house, yelling racial slurs and pointing a shotgun at him and her. The attacker was never prosecuted for lack of evidence, which Carmelo described as unjust. "If the roles were reversed and I was out wielding a gun threatening to kill people, I would have been in jail," she says. Justice and inequity weigh heavily on her mind. When asked about Native Americans and education, there is often conflict and hesitation in her answers, which stems from her own painful experience in the April Carmelo Fighting to help Native American students thrive and keep their culture alive By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin April Carmelo with Nate Wilson. "Let me introduce myself," says April Carmelo. "I am Wintu, Maidu, Tongva, Acjachemen. I am the granddaughter of Daniel Carmelo Sr. and Maria Sepulveda, and William Frank Timmons and Mary Jane Gorbet. I am the youngest of seven children born to Anna Timmons and Daniel Carmelo Jr." 34 www.cta.org