Sara Johnson Sow, director of Multi-Ethnic Affairs at the University of Rio Grande, presented "African Americans and Native Americans: Claiming Our Culture." 

Student Activities Programming Board sponsored the event and it was free and open to the public. 

A small group listened to Sow while she focused on the importance of being counted in the 2000 Census and claiming ones own culture while embracing others. 

Sow began by telling about her own background. 

She said she is Indian, African American, German and Irish, but she came from a neighborhood where color didn't matter. 

"I came from a neighborhood where everybody was everybody," Sow said. "There was no color." 

Sow said her mother was the first African-American teacher for the Gallipolis (Ohio) City Schools in 1966. 

She continued the family research her grandmother and mother had begun. 

"I have a 200-year-old book of remedies," Sow said. "It is full of Indian medicine." 

Sow also discussed religion. 

"The Indian beliefs are different," Sow said. "Religion and spirituality are two different things. Indians can only cut their hair when someone dies in the family, for example." 

She also talked about ethnic culture. 

"Everybody has some kind of ethnicity," Sow said. "We need to learn how to appreciate our heritage. People tend to expect people of a certain race to look a certain way. Just like Indians, they are expected to look a certain way. We are all guilty of stereotyping at one point or another." 

Sow showed the group a few things that she had brought with her. First, she shared what was called the Three Sisters. It contains corns, beans and squash. 

She then passed around two types of sage for everyone to see and smell. She explained sage is burned for prayer. 

Sow also passed around Indian organic tobacco and invited people to keep some if they wanted it. She handed out tobacco ties for everyone in the audience. She explained that these are used in ceremonies to offer tobacco. 

Sow wore a badge in support of filling out the census.

"States like West Virginia don't have enough money coming in because the census is being filled out wrong," Sow said. "Therefore, college tuition often goes up." 

It is important for people who live in residence halls at colleges to fill out a census form, Sow said. 

Sow said her Multi-Ethnic Affairs office is always busy. She helps students with scholarships and studying abroad.

Story by Courtney Ross