Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino facts for kids

Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino (May 7, 1909 – August 4, 2005) was a Comanche teacher from Oklahoma. When she was a child, she won an important court case. This case said that Native American children could go to public schools. Before this, many were forced to attend special schools run by the government.

Her case helped set the stage for other big decisions. These included Alice Piper v. Pine School District (1924) in California and Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The Brown v. Board of Education case made it illegal to have separate schools based on race. Parts of Dorothy's court decision were even used in the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.

After winning the right to attend public school, Dorothy became a special education teacher. She taught for over 40 years. In 1997, she made history. She was the first Native American and the first person from Oklahoma to join the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Early Life and School Fight

Dorothy Tabbyyetchy (Sunrise) was born on May 7, 1909. Her family lived on the Comanche Reservation. Her grandparents on her mother's side included Quanah Parker, a famous Comanche leader.

Dorothy first went to the Fort Sill Indian School. In 1915, her father tried to enroll her and her siblings in the Cache Public Schools. This was a public school closer to their home. Dorothy was the only Native American child there. But after only a few days, the school sent her home. They said she might bring diseases to the other students.

Her parents decided to fight this unfair rule. They filed a lawsuit against the school. In 1918, they won the case! The court ordered the school to let Native American children attend. This was a huge victory for equal education.

Learning and Family

After being accepted, Dorothy had to learn English. She only spoke Comanche at home. Her mother helped her learn the new language. Sadly, her mother passed away before 1920. Her father raised Dorothy and her four siblings. Relatives, like her grandmother To-Che-Yah, also helped.

Dorothy's sister, Winona, also became a teacher. Her brother, Morris Tabbyyetchy (Sunrise), became a World War II Comanche code talker. These brave soldiers used their native language as a secret code during the war.

Dorothy finished her early schooling. Then she graduated from the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School in 1931. She continued her education at Bacone College. In 1933, she earned a two-year degree from Bacone. She taught there for a year. Later, she went to Northeastern State Teachers College. There, she earned her four-year bachelor's degree in education. On October 19, 1936, Dorothy married William Wilson Lorentino.

Teaching Career

In 1938, Dorothy Lorentino started teaching at the Phoenix Indian School in Phoenix. She chose to teach two special groups of students. She taught children whose first language was not English. She also taught special education, helping children with disabilities.

For nearly ten years, she taught on reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. These included the Tohono Oʼodham Indian School near Tucson and the Tohatchi Boarding School on the Navajo Nation.

Further Education and Later Teaching

In 1947, Dorothy moved to Oregon. She earned her master's degree in special education from the University of Oregon. After that, she taught in the Tillamook school system. She also taught at Santiam Central School in Albany, Oregon. Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino taught at Liberty School near Sweet Home, Oregon, for two years. Later, she worked in the Salem, Oregon schools. She taught at Broadacres School and North Santiam School.

After 34 years of teaching, Lorentino retired in 1972. The next year, she received an award from the Tillamook Education Association. She then moved back to Lawton, Oklahoma. In the 1970s, she continued to teach as a substitute. She also taught the Comanche language and songs to members of her tribe.

Awards and Recognition

In 1995, the National Indian Education Association honored Lorentino as their "elder of the year." The next year, Cache High School started a special award in her name. The Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino Award is given each year to a Native American student who shows her strong principles.

In 1997, she achieved another great honor. She became the first Native American and the first person from Oklahoma to be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Death and Lasting Impact

Dorothy Lorentino passed away on August 4, 2005. She died at her home in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She was buried at the Post Oak Cemetery in Indiahoma, Oklahoma.

The court case she won as a child, Dorothy Sunrise v. District Board of Cache Consolidated School District No. 1, was very important. It changed the rule that Native American children had to go to special schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her case happened before Alice Piper v. Pine School District (1924) and Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Both of these later cases also fought for equal education rights.

In 1924, the words from her court judgment were even included in the Indian Citizenship Act. This law made sure that all Native American children had the right to go to public schools. Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino's fight for education truly made a difference for many generations.