San Manuel Custom Book

“We want people to know who the San Manuel people are,” said James Ramos, a San Manuel citizen and instructor in Serrano culture. “We want to bridge that gap between the reservation and the non-Indian community.” While the Native American curriculum at the San Bernardino university may center on the Serrano and Cahuilla Indians indigenous to the region, the local history includes both Indians and non-Indians. “We have a shared culture and a shared history,” Ramos said. Of the tribe’s contribution, $1 million was used for expansion of the cross-cultural center as a part of the new student union building. The other $2 million was placed into an endowment for student scholarships, internships and the university’s diversity program. It’s critical that residents of the San Bernardino area have a true understanding of tribal history, said William Aguilar, university vice president of advancement. It’s also important that the public perception of Indian tribes is an accurate one that extends beyond gaming. “It’s critical. Good lord, we’re all residents on land that was once theirs,” Aguilar said. “I certainly see the concern Native Americans have; that they will be defined by gaming rather than by their heritage, by their uniqueness. People need to think of Native American in terms of their rich culture, language and traditions.” The student center offers multicultural programs for students and the community and serves to facilitate the annual California Indian Cultural Awareness Conference, which was founded by Ramos in 1999. The conference is a weeklong event during which students and teachers learn from tribal elders, leaders and academics about the histories, cultures and governments of California Indians. “Every year students are bused to the Cal State San Bernardino campus,” Ramos said.“We get 2,500, 3,000 students. All together there might be 5,000 people.” Ramos’ lobbying efforts in 1998 were successful in getting the state Legislature to designate the fourth Friday of September as California Native American Day. San Manuel’s government outreach to state colleges and universities is not restricted to the San Bernardino campus. The tribe in 2004 gave $4 million to UCLA’s law school to establish a Native American studies program. And two years later it donated $3 million to Claremont (Calif.) Graduate University to establish a Native American education program for tribal government employees. “This is an important and exciting undertaking for the tribe,” Henry Duro, former tribal chairman, said of the Claremont University program. “For years we have discussed various ways of providing our employees with an opportunity to learn about tribal governments as distinct and unique entities. “This partnership with Claremont Graduate University will result in tribes being stronger employers and governments because our employees will better understand the nature of Indian tribes.” ■ Operation Phoenix Creating safe communities, and hope for the future Turning neglected neighborhoods into safe, healthy communities is the goal of Operation Phoenix, an innovative neighborhood restoration strategy launched in 2006 by the city of San Bernardino. A multi-faceted program, Operation Phoenix includes a wide spectrum of projects ranging from increased law enforcement to literacy programs; community gardens to after-school activities. San Manuel is a major partner in the project along with city, county, school and state officials. The tribe worked with city officials to get passage of an anti-crime ballot initiative and committed resources for the restoration of a community center and gymnasium on the First Church of the Nazarene campus. “San Manuel is easily one of our top five partners,” said Peggi Hazlett, assistant to Mayor Patrick J. Morris.“They’ve been with us from the beginning. They stepped up, immediately,” she said, contributing an initial $200,000 to the project when the city only asked for $130,000. The tribe also supported ballot initiatives to raise funds for crime prevention efforts in the city. Providing resources to Operation Phoenix and supporting the ballot initiatives were the acts of a responsible, caring government. “San Manuel is part of this community. San 15

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of San Manuel Custom Book

San Manuel Custom Book Contents Editorial Chapter One: A Tribe with a World View Three Fires Make History with Sacramento Marriott San Manuel Village Nears Completion Giving is the Serrano Way Chapter Two: San Manuel Firefighters Prove Their Mettle A Day at the Office Chapter Three: San Manuel Outreach Cal State University at San Bernardino Operation Phoenix Loma Linda University Medical Center Chapter Four: Building a Tribal Government on San Manuel Behind the Scenes Frances 'Tu Tu' Morongo

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