The Omaha activist at the center of a viral controversy involving footage appearing to show him being harassed and confronted by a group of Catholic high school students last weekend is now offering to meet with them.
Nathan Phillips is offering to travel as a “delegate representing the international coalition behind the Indigenous Peoples March to Covington Catholic High School in Northern Kentucky and have a dialog about cultural appropriation, racism, and the importance of listening to and respecting diverse cultures,” according to the Lakota People’s Law Project.
“Race relations in this country and around the world have reached a boiling point,” Phillips is quoted as saying by the group in the news release.
“It is sad that on the weekend of a holiday when we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., racial hostility occurred on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, where King gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” he continued.
Phillips expressed appreciation for the statements from the school and the mayor of Covington, who said mockery and taunting are not representative of the compassion, respect and other inclusive values they want to teach.
“So, let’s create space for the teaching of tolerance to happen,” he said.
According to Indian Country Today, Phillips is an Omaha tribal elder.
He’s a Vietnam-era Veteran and former director of the Native Youth Alliance.
The Toledo Blade reports that he served in the Marines from 1972 to 1976.
He has worked for several years to honor Native American veterans.
Phillips is also a keeper of a sacred pipe and holds an annual ceremony honoring Native American veterans in the Arlington National Cemetery.
In footage of the confrontation that went viral over the weekend, a group of Catholic high school students could be seen appearing to confront Phillips and his group at the Lincoln Memorial during a march.
In videos recorded from different angles, it’s clear that the white male students swarmed and surrounded the small group of Native Americans who were peacefully chanting and playing musical instruments.
After the incident, Phillips told The Washington Post that he felt “threatened” by the group of students and was looking for an escape.
“It was getting ugly, and I was thinking: ‘I’ve got to find myself an exit out of this situation and finish my song at the Lincoln Memorial,’ ” Phillips told the Post. “I started going that way, and that guy in the hat stood in my way and we were at an impasse. He just blocked my way and wouldn’t allow me to retreat.”
Nick Sandmann, a student who was seen standing in front of Phillips smiling in footage of the encounter, said that reports about the apparent confrontation were filled with “misinformation” and “outright lies.”
Sandmann, who claimed he was “singled out” by Philips during the encounter, said Sunday that “the protestor everyone has seen in the video began playing his drum as he waded into the crowd, which parted for him.”
“I did not see anyone try to block his path. He locked eyes with me and approached me, coming within inches of my face,” he continued. “He played his drum the entire time he was in my face.”
But Phillips said in the news release on Tuesday that “unfortunately, much of the students’ behavior was understood by me and those with me as a mockery of our cultures.”
“I have read the statement from Nick Sandmann, the student who stared at me for a long time. He did not apologize, and I believe there are intentional falsehoods in his testimony,” Phillips continued. “But I have faith that human beings can use a moment like this to find a way to gain understanding from one another.”
Covington Catholic High School has now deleted all of its social media pages, including those for alumni.