This Soldier didn't define himself as a hero. Why? Because standing up and taking action isn't about being a hero, it's about being a person.
You know the show, “What would you do?”…Well, I am going to play that game with you today. Imagine you see an injustice happen. What will you do? Will you only help if it’s one of your kids or a relative or neighbor? When you see injustice happen, do you pretend that it’s not happening? Do you say it’s none of my business? Do you call the authorities, or do you act on it?
What if there was a group of people based on their beliefs and the color of their skin that were forced to live and are currently living in third world conditions that were put there by the authorities? Who are you gonna call now? (No, not GhostBusters).
Martin Luther King Jr. said that, “you can’t ask for inalienable rights that were seized, you have to demand them back.” He also said that, “gaining back something that should never have been taken away will only be done begrudgingly if at all from the parties that took them.”
There are many well-meaning groups that are doing what they can to help Native American kids as best as they can and they are to be commended.
But, sadly, it’s not enough!
If you take any index you choose from: education, economics, disease, employment, crime, drugs, alcohol, etc- their ranks are at the tops or bottom of all index’s you can measure.
Without an identity to move forward with, they don’t come or hail from anywhere. A lost identity, language, Native ways, values, customs leaves a whole population without roots or heritage. So steeped is their climb just to enjoy freedoms taken for granted by most US citizens.
LHNC is a movement; an alliance, a partnership with a group of people to regain their footing and to move successfully into brighter futures. It’s so much more than just a charity. In the not too distant future, LHNC will have served its’ purpose and will move on to the next group in need, as brighter futures for these kids will be accomplished and the next steps taken by the empowered kids themselves.
Many groups are weighed down by illusion that the solution is somehow going to come from the very institutions that orchestrated the genocide in the first place. The government is not going to help Native Americans.
If we start with this premise, it gets a whole lot easier. It’s going to be done by private people who will not tolerate injustices, whether they are related by DNA or geographical proximity.
They end the injustice because they can and it’s the right thing to do.
Our 2018 LHNC fundraiser is in full swing and from donations to participation, sporting goods, backpacks anything you can do will help turn the tide for these kids.
It’s time to start giving back!
We will be doing a Boot Camp at the Fort Peck Reservation, MT on August 9-11th. If you would like to be a part of the volunteer group, give me a call!