When 2nd and 3rd grade kids at an elementary school were asked this question, they answered so honestly! Some of the kids thought the Pilgrims were the first people ever to walk on American soil. Other more aware kids had some limited understanding of the real First People. When asked where the Native Americans live now, almost all of the kids said…they’re gone!
As Love Has No Color workers (well, unpaid volunteers), one of the things we experience almost every time we tell people about the 3rd world conditions on Reservations is a look of shocked amazement. Described as America’s Deepest Scar, the genocide against First Nation people sends a shiver up and down any empathetic human being’s spine. It was a systematic attempt to eradicate indigenous people. The US Government not only violated their inalienable rights, we have never even been publicly acknowledged our error.
The income, education, lifestyle, health, social stature, and lifespan gap of Native Americans vs non-Native Americans are almost too wide to fathom. If you go by race, they are the least college educated minority by far.
The problems, conditions and data have been well chronicled and documented for hundreds of years. Throwing well-intentioned money at a problem won’t work. What hasn’t been discussed are the SOLUTIONS. LHNC is all about action and solutions. We have a saying here at LHNC - there are no linear solutions to non-linear problems. The map is not the terrain, meaning the symbol or the representation of the thing is not the thing.
We invite all of our readers to share this link and donate often and frequently. Together, we can end the hopelessness on this and all reservations.
Every donation goes directly towards solutions on the Fort Peck reservation and beyond. We have no paid employees, consultants, or staff. All our work is accomplished by non-governmental donations and volunteers. What better way to fight poverty and hopelessness than supporting an organization that sends 100% of the proceeds to the people who need them?