n8tvegrl said:
Wounded Knee was my people and my father was at the siege in 1973. I was also a member of AIM and had my militant years but now most of the native youth in this country are in gangs. On reservations the statistics are extraordinarily high and it's hard to see how that could assist our plight so it's really depressing.
I have friends who are doing great things though, artists, filmmakers, writers, etc. that are moving some of the youth and inspiring them to get out of trouble and do good work for our people.
The activism of AIM wasn't just about militant resistance, they helped to unify tribes under of a single banner for a stronger, collective voice over the injustices each had suffered. The peaceful occupation of Alcatraz island in 1969-71 helped bring the AIM to national attention and served as successful and inspirational stepping stone in the path for civil rights and equality among all the marginalized and discriminated people of the U.S.
Today, with many Tribes being granted the right to build and operate casinos, I think that a newer and perhaps more influential movement has risen. Locally, with the assistance of the Pechanga Indians, a major powerline project was averted with the battle going all the way to the U.S. Congress. Although legislation had been stalled in Congress for years, Congressional leaders eventually sided with the local resistance, even granting lands back to the Reservation with the caveat that they would ensure protection of the land and the country's oldest and biggest native oak that resides there.
I think its great that many of the formerly oppressed cultures of America have finally been able to reclaim their identity and feel empowered enough to grow beyond the repression that has persisted for generations. Still though, I hope that growth doesn't leave cultural roots forgotten and buried in the past.
n8tvegrl said:
He's old, has lived with white priviledge, and really doesn't know what it is like to be attacked and judged daily by the color of his skin so he lacks that little broken spot in his heart that makes us so sensitive to such terms.
Actually, Nader is Arab- and Lebanese-American. Just sayin'.
Anyways, I really do dislike that he felt "Uncle Tom" was a good word choice. It was obviously meant to be "edgy", but it's just fucking racist.
s5
STAFF
San Francisco, CA
NOV 11, 2008 02:24 PM