Irene Sue Vernon is a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Ethnic An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

Studies Department at

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

. She specialises in the field of Native Americans and HIV/AIDS.

Early life and education

Vernon was born in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

and grew up in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

. She earned a

Bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

of Arts in Native American studies from

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in History from

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

, and a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in Ethnic Studies from

Work and career

Vernon is currently a full time professor at Colorado State University where she is the Chair of Ethnic Studies Department and also the Assistant to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Along with her career as a professor, Vernon also has a career as an author as well as a researcher for Native Americans and HIV/AIDS. She is the author of ''Killing Us Quietly: Native Americans and HIV/AIDS'' (2001). and the co-author of ''Social Life and Issues'' (2005).

Political involvement

Vernon has occasionally been sought for comment during high-profile news stories relating to race and ethnicity in the

Northern Colorado Northern Colorado is the name for a region in the state of Colorado and a proposed state in the northeastern portion of Colorado. Region Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders northwestern Colorado, nort ...

area.

2013 pro-gun billboard controversy

In April 2013, two

billboards A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large out-of-home advertising, outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboard ...

depicting three men in traditional Native American attire armed with

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

s and was captioned "Turn in your arms, the government will take care of you" were erected in

Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States census, an increase of 17.12% since the ...

by an anonymous, pro-gun advocacy group. Opposition ensued with some area residents as they claimed the

advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

was offensive to Native Americans, prompting coverage by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

regarding the incident. Included with the Associated Press' initial article, Vernon was paraphrased as saying "the billboard message is taking a narrow view of a much more complicated history of the American Indians' plight," and continued stating that Native Americans " id not just giveup their guns and

ind Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...

up on reservations." The backlash surrounding the incident reached nationwide coverage, including a discussion on the

FOX News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

show '' The Five''.

Illegal Pete's naming controversy

In October 2014, public debate ignited when the Colorado-based, " Mexican-style" food chain Illegal Pete's announced plans to open a Fort Collins restaurant. Outspoken residents began protesting the name of the restaurant, citing that the word "illegal" held a negative connotation and should be changed. Restaurant owner Pete Turner, however, maintained that the name was drawn from the name of a bar in a book he read as a college student in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

, and not as a reference to immigration. Vernon spoke out against the name, stating in Colorado State University's student-run paper, ''The Collegian'', that "historically the word llegalwas used to incriminate immigrants". Noting Pete Turner was a "very kind and generous man", she said she was nonetheless "surprised wner Pete Turnercouldn't connect the issue with the word 'illegal' and 'immigrant.'" Turner declined to change the name, releasing a letter on the company's website and opening the store in the following November.

Publications

Books

* ''Killing Us Quietly: Native Americans and HIV/AIDS'' (2001) * ''Social Life and Issues: Contemporary Native American Issues'' (co-author) (2005)

Journal articles

* "Native American Women and HIV/AIDS: Building Healthier Communities" American Indian Quarterly 33: 352–372. (co-author) (2009) * "Rap about the Clap: A Qualitative Study of American Indian Youth and STDs/STIs" American Indian Culture and Research Journal 39(2): 53–67. (co-author) (2015) * "Communication about sexually transmitted infections among rural and urban Native American youth in the United States," Howard Journal of Communication 26: 172–192. (co-author) (2015) * "Closing the Gap: a research agenda for the study of health needs among American Indian/Native Hawaiian transgender individuals," Ethnic Studies Review Journal 36(1-2): 37–58. (co-author) (2013) * " 'We Were Those Who Walked out of Bullets and Hunger:' Representation of Trauma and Healing in Solar Storms," American Indian Quarterly 36 (Winter): 34–49. (2012) * "American Indian Women, HIV/AIDS and Health Disparities," Substance Use & Misuse: An International Interdisciplinary Forum 42: 741–752. (2007) * "Advancing HIV/AIDS Prevention among American Indians through Capacity Building and Community Readiness Model". Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (January): S49-S54. (co-author) (2007) * "The Changing Face of HIV/AIDS Among Native Populations." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 37 (September): 247–255. (co-author) (2005) * " 'A happiness that sleeps with sadness': An Examination of White Scabs in Fools Crow." American Indian Quarterly 29 (Winter/Spring): 178–197. (2005) * "Prevention of HIV/AIDS in Native Americans Communities: Promising Interventions," Public Health Reports 117: S96-S103. (co-author) (2002)

Awards and nominations

Awards

* 2016: Oliver P. Pennock Distinguished Service Award, Colorado State University * 2016: National Association of Ethnic Studies Award * 2015: Margaret B. Hazaleus Award, Colorado State University * 2013: National Association for Ethnic Studies Charles C. Irby Distinguished Service AwardIrby Distinguished Service Award
National Association for Ethnic Studies, retrieved 2016-12-11. * 2011: 1st Generation Scholarship Awards Committee Recognition, Colorado State University * 2008: Public Health Award, Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado State University * 1994: UC Berkeley Graduate Fellowship * 1993: Frances C. Allen Fellowship for the promotion of higher education and promotion of academic study for Native women * 1991-1993: UC Berkeley Graduate Minority Award * 1991: New Mexico Student Research Allocation Award * 1989-1991: New Mexico State Fellowship * 1983: UC Berkeley Academic Achievement Award * 1981-1982: Laverne Alexander Platt Scholarship for excellent achievements

Nominations

* 2007: Distinguished Alumni Awards-Distinguished Faculty * 2005: Margaret Hazelous Award * 2004: Colorado State University Eddy Teacher Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Irene Sue Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Little Rock, Arkansas Native American women academics Native American academics Colorado State University faculty UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni University of New Mexico alumni 21st-century Native American women American women academics Academics from Arkansas American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers Writers from Arkansas 21st-century Native American writers