About Lu
“My name is Luhui Whitebear and I am enrolled with the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation. I also have Huastec and Cochimi ancestry. I am originally from my people’s homelands of Santa Barbara, California but spend most of my life in Oregon with my dad who raised me’s people: the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. I am from rural coastal Oregon (Taft High School graduate) and currently live on Kalapuya land in Corvallis where I am an assistant professor in Indigenous Studies at Oregon State University. I am a four time OSU alumni with my two bachelor degrees in Ethnic Studies and Anthropology. I earned my masters degree and my PhD while working full time at OSU as the center director of the kaku-ixt mana ina haws and being a single parent. My masters degree is in Interdisciplinary Studies (Ethnic Studies, Women Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Queer Studies) and my doctoral degree is in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. I have background in community engaged work focusing on murdered and missing Indigenous people, homeless/houseless advocacy, environmental justice, and broader Indigenous rights issues. My entire life has been immersed in activism. Lastly, I am a breast cancer survivor that will be two years in remission in June. In summary, I bring many experiences with me that would take much more space to explain, but my heart is in it for the communities I am a part of as well as those that I am not a part of.”
Accomplishments
School Board Chair (2 years)
President of the Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus
Region 10 (Linn, Benton, Lincoln) Representative on the Oregon School Board Association Board (OSBA) Board of Directors
OSBA Legislative Policy Committee Member (2 years)
Board liaison to DELTA, DEDI, Indian Education Program, and the Corvallis Public School Foundation
Taken the lead on addressing lack of funding for public education
Helped with Community Education and Advocacy about the budget crisis
Increased community participation (200+ individuals) with the new board goals including sessions in partnership with Casa Unidos Latinos and the Linn-Benton Chapter of the NAACP
Helped establish the Indian Education Program (additional federal dollars)
Helped update the bias reporting system in response to student concerns, including the establishment of a bias response team
Worked towards increasing more clarity around the formal complaint process in response to community feedback
Served on the campaign committee for the 2022 local option levy to support smaller class sizes, arts, music, sports, vocational education, and mental health support
Supported administrative decisions that led to increased academic performance and regular attendance in Corvallis schools, including measuring above state averages in all areas
Advocacy at the state level related to funding, special education, accountability, and board member safety