The achievement of One Nation Working Together in pulling together the March on 10.2.10 should not be diminished in any way. They've done an amazing job. DiegoUK has likewise done a truly amazing job in setting up a way for people to sponsor others to get to the March (including, it is very likely, yours truly - and thank you to all).
But there's been a significant exclusion and it needs to be corrected.
You'd think with a name like One Nation Working Together, that all parts - all parts - of this great nation would be included. You'd think that representatives from every significant population of working people and unemployed people would have been included in the planning and listed as important speakers.
You'd be wrong. One very significant population wasn't included at all in the planning phases, and has no speakers, and has only a single group - a performing arts group rather than a working peoples' group - included as participants.
That population is Native Americans (Indians).
(I am going to use the terms Native Americans and Indians interchangeably. I asked at one point some months ago what was the right term and was told that Indians call themselves Indians when speaking in the generic for the most part and aren't offended at the use of that term by non-Indians.)
My elder sister is Indian. She's a hard-working woman and brilliant. You see her eloquent diaries here nearly every day for one cause or another, whether it's eKos, helping the refugees in Pakistan, helping the Haitians, hunger in Native American communities, you name it. She puts her heart, her mind, and her diaries where they will do the greatest good for the greatest number. I honor her immensely. And she, among other Indian leaders here on Daily Kos, is pretty steamed that no Indians were included in One Nation's planning and on the roster of speakers.
Mohawk ironworkers have been "booming out" for six generations. "Booming out" is a Mohawk expression used to describe the urban migration of the Mohawk ironworkers as they leave their native communities in New York state, Ontario, Quebec and Montreal in search of work. One of the earliest projects the Mohawks completed was a bridge over the St. Lawrence River, between Canada and Mohawk land in New York state. The Mohawks have constructed portions of the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the George Washington Bridge and the World Trade Center in New York City. Mohawks on the West Coast in the 1930s constructed the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
Kyle Karonhiaktatie Beauvais, a Mohawk ironworker, says, "A lot of people think Mohawks aren't afraid of heights; that's not true. We have as much fear as the next guy. The difference is that we deal with it better. We also have the experience of old timers to follow and the responsibility to lead the younger guys. There's pride in walking iron." (epmphasis mine)
Indians built this country, and I mean that literally. A case in point: the Mohawk ironworkers, who do what few can do and deal with the extreme heights and danger involved in doing high steelwork when building skyscrapers. The Mohawk ironworkers have been doing this for over a hundred years, building much of New York City as we know it today. Mohawk ironworkers built the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, the World Trade Center. Mohawk ironworkers helped to dismantle and lay to rest the work of their elders at the World Trade Center, after September 11, 2001. These are working men (mostly they are indeed men, but probably some women are up there as well) whose labor of hands and minds has gone into some of the most recognizable and iconic buildings of America's largest city. Where are they represented at One Nation Working Together? They aren't.
I'm honored to be a part of Native American Netroots. The members of that group are both Indian and non-Indian. I'm one of the non-Indians, though I do have some Blackfoot heritage. I honor all of these people as my relations, and am deeply honored to call one of them my sister. As I said, I am not Indian. I don't have a stake in this personally other than the stake I always have in seeing justice done. (That's who I am. I do that.) For justice to be done, this needs to be rectified, and rectified now.
Kossack cacamp, a member of the Ponca Nation, leader of the A.I.M. in Oklahoma, and a respected elder, brought this to our attention yesterday. Several weeks ago, he signed up A.I.M. to be involved via the One Nation website but has heard nothing since, until today when he found out that A.I.M. was listed. There are no Indian speakers, not one single one. There are no Indian leaders involved in planning this, not one single one. This has been in comments in diaries but hasn't been brought to the fore in a diary of its own until now. I urge you to get involved and call on the leaders of One Nation Working Together to correct this unforgivable exclusion.
Contact the One Nation team at the Website" or at onenationteam@gmail.com to make your displeasure at this oversight known. Tell them that the March is a fantastic achievement and that it is not complete without our First Peoples' involvement as a key constituency. Deep Harm had a fantastic idea: suggest that Indians lead the March, as was done in Vancouver for the recent Winter Olympiad.
There is still time to correct this exclusion, to make sure that Indians are included and represented, that there are Indian speakers on the stage, that we recognize and honor the working men and women of the more than 500 Indian Nations of America, that we bring to the forefront of everyone's awareness (especially our legislators and the Obama Administration) the high unemployment (as high as 89% on some reservations) of Native Americans, that we all make ourselves aware of, respectful of, and inclusive of all Americans. Please help in this.
Update, posted with permission:
From: "Carter Camp"
To: (email addresses excised) Denise Gray-Felder"
Cc: "Native American Netroots"
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 4:43:04 PM
Subject: RE: Fwd: Press Credentials and Native American Sponsors
Denise,
This is very welcome news and I certainly appreciate it, thank you for your prompt reaction to my concerns. Now I need to ask one more question and that is what are the Native American concerns you mention and what native input did you have in compiling them? I offer you any assistance I can give in making sure those concerns really are from Indian tribes and organizations. Our concerns cover many of the same areas as other sponsoring orgs such as the environment where the "Indigenous Environmental Network" (IEN) is a leader in the struggle to stop the disaster of "Tar Sand" strip mining. Of course the recession is also a concern along with jobs and the stimulus package. But some of our concerns are unique to our tribes such as Tribal Sovereignty and legal jurisdictions over our land and natural resources.
I'm glad that at least one Native organization is listed as a sponsor but there are many more that could be reached including over 300 Tribal governments that would proudly stand in solidarity with the working men and women of America. I wish you well in your good work and again offer what assistance I can be. Best Regards, Carter Camp
- Hide quoted text -
--- On Tue, 9/28/10, Denise Gray-Felder wrote:
- Hide quoted text -
From: Denise Gray-Felder
Subject: RE: Fwd: Press Credentials and Native American Sponsors
To: (email addresses excised) Carter Camp
Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 4:52 PM
Hello Mr. Camp: I have checked with the people handling endorsing organizations and AIM is indeed one of the endorsing organizations. We are very happy to have you and welcome your involvement in the One Nation Working Together movement. My understanding is that American Indian concerns are included in the program. Many thanks for your input.
Denise Gray-Felder
One Nation Working Together Communication
Indian leaders here on DKos feel that Indians should be leading this March, right up in the front of everything. Please contact the March organizers and request that.
Further Update: Chi miigwech for putting this on the rec list so the issue gets seen.
And Another Update, this time from mindoca:
The Native American Leadership Program (NALP) is now #1 in the Pepsi Refresh Everything challenge! Please make sure to vote today, tomorrow, and Thursday for this program to win a $50,000 grant. They've also gotten a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to earn a separate $100,000 matching-funds grant and are working hard on it. You can make contributions towards that matching grant here.
Dear mindoca,
The next two days are critical for Wellstone Action. We have two opportunities that will help us continue our work of training progressive leaders.
A few weeks ago our Board of Directors launched a matching challenge grant, promising to match us, dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000 and we’re within $6,000 of meeting that goal! As Director of the Native American Leadership Program, I know just how far these dollars will go in our work across the country. Can you donate today and help us meet our goal?
Throughout the month of September, our Native American Leadership Program has been competing for a $50,000 grant through the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. I am humbled to tell you that today we moved into the #1 spot in our category. We just need to remain in the top ten through September 30th to win this grant! Please vote for NALP today (and tomorrow and Thursday!) to help us build power in Indian Country.
Remember, we have just two more days for both of these challenges. Thanks for your support!
Miigwech (Thank you),
Peggy Flanagan
Director, Native American Leadership Program
P.S. If you already gave to our matching challenge grant, we're proud to share with you how far we've come. Thanks for helping us get here!
Still Another Update: I really like this email from surelyujest:
Dear One Nation team,
It has been brought to my attention that a terrible oversight has taken place in which Native American groups have not been included in the ongoing planning of the October 2 march. I do not believe that this was intentional, but it has been damaging. First Nation groups have as much at stake as all other groups being represented in Washington, and unfortunately in many cases, an even greater need for their voice to be heard. The poverty rate on some Indian reservations is near 85%; addiction, hunger and diabetes are at an all time epidemic high. Working Native American men and women need and want to be a part of this unifying march on Saturday and deserve not only a place in front of the line heading the march, but speakers representing their interests and sharing them with the rest of our country. Please give them a voice and an opportunity to speak on 10.2.10.
Thank you,
'my real name'