Brief: Managing Money

LATTC hosts Student Financial Literacy Fair

Walking around campus, new and returning students may not be aware of the controversial art statues located on the west side of campus, depicting Native Americans as blood-thirsty fighters, kidnapping white women.

In 1988, a collection of American-Western folk art was donated to Pierce College. At the time, a board of trustees at Pierce voted to accept the collection from the John Ehn family trust. Now, three decades later, both faculty and students have been weighing in to remove these pieces of art that no longer represent their worldview.

Professor James McKeever was one of the first faculty members spearheading the issue, bringing attention to the offensiveness they represent to the Native American community and the social impact they have on campus life.

“Nine years ago, a student brought these statues to my attention, and I didn’t know they existed,” McKeever said. “At the time, I had students in a social justice group called Blatigenous, which stands for Black, Latino, and Indigenous. Together we walked over to see the statues and agreed that they needed to be removed.”

The collection was created by John Ehn (1897-1981), an animal trapper from Michigan who settled in California in 1941. He brought tales and myths of the Old West with him.

The sculptures of cowboys and Indians stood in front of his Old Trapper’s Lodge motel located in Burbank. When Burbank Airport was expanded, the family was forced to donate the art, containing narratives that by today’s social standards are considered racist and offensive.

“Throughout the years, we’ve had a few roadblocks in removing them, the first being that they’re considered a state landmark,” McKeever said. “Second, there was no one who knew how we got the statues, nor could find an official agreement to the terms of keeping them. At times I would bring attention to these statues at

“We’re moving forward, everything seems to be in full alignment in terms of beginning the removal,” Aguiar said. “The process has been approved by the family and the whole transition team. I hate to say that it’s still in progress, but we’re in a different phase, and a much better phase, in terms of getting the exhibit transferred.” worellana.roundupnews@gmail.com

McKeever said that he hopes he’ll be notified when the removal takes place.

“I would like to invite the students who fought so hard nine years ago, back to campus to witness the removal and be part of that,” he said.

The Los Angeles Community College District held a Student Financial Literacy Fair at LA Trade Technical College, which