U & D

In a previous post, I wrote about A Bill to Watch – the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which includes Sen. Brownback’s Resolution of Apology to Native Peoples. No, the bill has not yet reached the House, but there is new information.

First, the full text of Sen. Brownback’s amendment/Resolution is available online. It is worth showing students how to find this text [go to Thomas' Search function - select 110 Congress - select House & Senate - and Search bill text - enter "Resolution of Apology" - select the lower of the 2 hits]. It is worth the time to read the text with students. It is also worth noting that this is the very last item attached to the Act, Title III—Miscellaneous. You have to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the link to the actual Resolution text.

The Act, which renews funding for essential health and public welfare needs, has not yet made it to the 111 Congress (the House), which is a travesty all by itself. It also means that the Apology is limbo.

It is prime time for that Apology to be made.

You can do something about it. Indian Country, or a part of it, is rallying support through an online petition hosted by Care2 and sponsored by White Bison, Inc., a “wellness and healing” Native organization. Whether or not you are attracted to the sponsor and their message, consider signing the petition. You will need to create an account (you can control the junk you get back), but that is about all. I elected to write a message (optional) to accompany my name (also optional). Here is the text of my message:

I have been following the progress of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which includes Sen. Brownback’s Resolution of Apology to Native Peoples. It seems to be stalled. As a teacher of the Humanities, a member of two Wabanaki Studies committees, and a non-Native but concerned resident of Maine, I am appalled that such an important document – action – be no more than an attachment to a larger bill (not to devalue the importance of the bill itself). I hope that, in this national atmosphere of change and hope, we can put this scar behind us as a people, as we have begun to finally close other racial wounds. This apology is needed, and the non-Native citizens of this country need to hear it spoken and see it posted.
I am not a Native, but I do serve on committees with Elders, and gen-Y adults from the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq and Maliseet Nations who tell powerfully and poignantly of how their families, communities and nations have been changed by, and are still weighted down by, the legacy of Indian Boarding Schools. Most painful to me, because I am a teacher, are the stories of middle and high school students who do not see a clear path to “getting ahead.” This is not an imaginary problem: it is real and it is here in Maine, on and off reservation. As a teacher, I have trouble getting this across to my students; these students will soon be the governing generation in this state. Unless they see the seriousness of the contemporary issues facing the Wabanakis, they will continue to make economic and political decisions in the model of previous generations – decisions that have often been short-sighted, insensitive, and – yes – racist. We are all hurt by this.