University of Nevada, Reno’s use and quiet removal of Native voices raises concerns
Courtesy | University of Nevada, Reno
Students walk past the iconic "N" block on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
ALSTROM POINT, Utah
In November 2024, the University of Nevada, Reno published an article titled “Seven generations forward and seven generations back” to mark Native American Heritage Month. Promoted across university platforms and social media, the article featured two Diné educators and emphasized intergenerational care for Native youth through 4-H programming.
But that article was quietly removed this year from UNR’s website without a public explanation. No notice, no apology, no transparency.
One of the women, Tammy Haddad, featured in the article has now come forward, saying the deletion was not only silent – it was symptomatic of a larger pattern of erasure, tokenism, and institutional harm.
“I was not notified when the article was removed. I had told Matilda (Begay, the other woman featured in the article) ahead of time that I felt the article needed to be removed. That was a personal and emotional decision. I asked for it to be removed because UNR used my leadership and identity while violating my rights behind the scenes,” she said.
The UNR staff member said she reached out to multiple leaders at the university to report discrimination and request that the article be removed for her safety. She received no formal responses.
“They only took it down after I sent a message with a ‘Not Your Mascot’ GIF (Graphic Interchange Format). Even then, no one acknowledged me,” she said.
To read the full article, please see the July 10, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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