Janna  "Doc"  Rogers

Comments

As Executive Director of the Yuchi Language Project and as a traditional elder at our Yuchi ceremonial ground I have had the opportunity to work in constant parallel with Ms. Janna Rogers for two decades on a large variety of projects related to social justice matters that effect the cultural life of our Native nations. She has always been committed to upholding the beliefs and practices of her traditional Cherokee heritage. As a practitioner of Native American spirituality and a professional working in the area of Native American cultural rights and practices I can vouch for the veracity of her cultural commitments and dedication to the legal and religious rights of Native Americans to carry out traditions and traditional medicinal practices. 

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Ms. Rogers is an extremely responsible person with high values and solid ethics. She is quite effective in accomplishing the professional endeavors she pursues and she should be held in high regard. She has been active in work with the Tulsa community on issues relating to social justice and cultural preservation. Ms. Rogers has been effective both as a leader and an assistant initiating and working on cultural and diverse projects ranging from native language radio and television production to Native land rights. 

She demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills as she works with community members of various generations to accomplish both long-term and short-term goals. She has a wonderful ability to engage people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. She is very bright and self-motivated while being very passionate and caring in all she does. I give my highest recommendation for Jai Rogers.

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Richard A. Grounds, Ph.D.

Founder and Executive Director of the Euchee (Yuchi) Language Project, World Council of Churches- Board Member, United Nations & Geneva Convention- Cultural Speaker, University of Tulsa- Professor

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As the Indigenous Democratic Network transitions following the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama it is with great respect for Jai and her dedication for which we will be forever grateful.  Jai managed the office for INDN's List, INDN's List Education Fund, and support from the Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota and Oklahoma Political Action Committees. She was also a paralegal for my law office during the federal case Ponca Tribe of Indians vs. Continental Carbon Company USA ($10 million settlement). She brought with her the experience and passion of having established a grassroots organization, The Oklahoma Native American Network, which received national and international attention.

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Kalyn Free, J.D.

Oklahoma Super Delegate, U.S. Department of Justice/Former Senior Counsel, Washington D.C.

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Jai has been a crucible for justice for Native people through her brave activism and given generously to many causes. I have followed her ascension as she continues to champion many of the causes I support. Her academic achievements have only enriched her ability to tell our stories.

I had the pleasure of working with Jai Rogers for over a decade and can speak for her outstanding professionalism. She has held positions of trust and enormous responsibility including In-house Resident and Marketing Director of the Diane Woodruff Art Museum and Galleries. I worked closely with Jai when she was a journalist for the Oklahoma Indian Times. She is founder of the Oklahoma Native American Network (O.N.A.N.) which organized symposiums and community outreach efforts while executive producing television and radio programming that brought awareness to Indigenous concerns.  Jai is respected for exhibiting high degrees of loyalty and confidentiality. Her personal values and ethics are impeccable and include respect for all peoples, American Indian rights and traditions, human rights and a desire for equality to be established and enforced via legislature. I have no reservations recommending Jai for any position of leadership.

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Louis Gray, B.S. Psychology 

Osage Nation-Strategic Planning Commission, Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism (TICAR)

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Jai is a motivated professional seeking to expand her contributions to society who achieved a Master’s degree and is now pursuing a doctorate, produces original scholarship, and has applied goals in highlighting historical social injustice. Jai was a welcome addition to my Racial and Ethnic Relations course in the fall of 2016 during her undergraduate studies. Her contributions to discussions, activities, the final essay, and the course project (a service learning option) set an admirable example for the rest of the class. In fact, I would be underselling Jai if I said anything other than that her work set the bar for her classmates.

Jai was resolute in all endeavors. She went above and beyond with her course project, which was cataloging the Oklahoma City Federation of Colored Women's Club collection for the Oklahoma Historical Society Archives. Jai maintained a professional line of communication between myself and her organizational coordinator at the historical society. Although only a simple three page journal was required to document the project Jai's presentation was a stellar collection of organized and bound images and descriptions of her work that should be a welcome component to the Women’s Club’s collection.

Jai developed an ongoing interrogative relationship with me as her instructor which impressed me with her dedication to course work and zeal for understanding the underlying logic of the material beyond what I expected and required for the course. Jai is dedicated to a maintaining high quality work, professionalism, and enthusiasm for bettering this world through her education and advanced training.

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Richard Ellefritz, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology Oklahoma State University

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Jai has the skills to organize, develop, and execute public projects and to present complex information in accessible ways. In short, she is ideally suited for the pursuit of academic and applied history; it’s right in her wheelhouse. Jai is the rare student who combines curiosity and intelligence with competence in both oral and written communication, time management, and project management skills.

Jai was my student in "Theories and Methods of American Studies" where she chose, as her final project, to connect the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) to its historical roots in the earlier Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. She showed how BLM drew upon earlier social empowerment movements in gain support for a new anti-racism struggle.

Her choice of projects is consistent with her interest in historical race relations and social justice which prepares her well to pursue future projects. Jai studied AMST3683 “Culture in the Making,”a multimedia digital humanities course with a focus in local history. The course introduced Web 2.0 tools for researching, evaluating, organizing, and publicizing knowledge work. She also visited local archives
at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and the Tulsa City County Library Annex and received lessons in oral history from Sarah Milligan, Director of the Oklahoma Oral History Research Project.

Jai designed and created a webpage implementing her semester-long projects in digital mapping, data
visualization, digital story-telling and oral history. Her project centered on the Perryman legacy, from the Muscogee Nation, and their historic role in Indian Territory as well as the formation of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jai  focused the webpage on the multicultural dynamics of the Perryman family and the state of Oklahoma. The results can be seen at: http://jairogers.wixsite.com/perryman. Jai built the web site and produced all data and narratives contained therein. Jai received an A in both classes for her strong work.

These projects demonstrate Jai’s curiosity, intelligence, and focus. They also show she is sincere in
her desire to pursue critical race studies and work in unpacking and dismantling racism. Her research and communication skills are top-notch. She has worked diligently to improve her analytical and evaluative skills while at Oklahoma State University. 

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Stacy Takacs, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Director of American Studies Oklahoma State University

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Jai possesses a high level of maturity, intelligence, knowledge comprehension, and ability to apply theoretical concepts. She shows a genuine willingness to take instruction and communicates an interest in using her academic achievements to contribute scholarly work in the public arena in order to improve the lives of all persons.  She will continue to progress in learning and applying academic concepts and practices during this contentious period in American life.

Her previous work on behalf of marginalized groups along with her desire to contribute to the understanding of today’s white supremacy efforts has the potential to not only contribute to academia but could significantly contribute to the everyday lives of marginalized individuals and dominant groups alike. I found Jai to be dedicated and thoughtful in her pursuit of academic excellence. Jai was punctual, participatory, and attentive in each class session. She showed great tenacity toward comprehending theoretical foundations in the course I taught, Theoretical Thinking in Sociology.

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Jai is advanced in the areas of academic intelligence; has practical experience and understanding of current social issues, and is mentally and emotionally prepared to take on the rigors of graduate study. Her commitment to refining her knowledge and willingness to embrace guidance will further groom Jai to make many important contributions to our world. 

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Gay E. Phillips, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Department of Sociology Oklahoma State University

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Ms. Rogers performed all responsibilities as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at an outstanding level. She is fully capable of utilizing D2L/Brightspace and other instructional tools. She was available to students during office hours, by appointment, and she gladly extended her office hours so that more students could meet with her before major assignments. She has all of the organizational skills necessary to successfully work as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.  Ms. Rogers has an above average knowledge of American history for her level of training, education, and experience. 

Ms. Rogers was always thoroughly professional when addressing me or when talking with students. She exhibited professional behavior in Email correspondence and in assisting students after classes and during office hours. She maintained frequent and clear communication with me and always responded to my Emails promptly. I believe she was effective in teaching students about history and writing when she met with them during office hours. She cares so very much about our students. She went above and beyond my expectations in spending time with students, especially international students, in order to help them learn and grow academically. 

It was a pleasure to work with Ms. Rogers this semester and I would gladly recommend her...for Survey of American History and other courses. 

Richard Boles, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of History Oklahoma State University
*Colonial & Revolutionary America; Native American History; African American History; American Religious History

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