Native Ameicans

Thumbnail image for A Black Indian March for Peace, 1861-1862

A Black Indian March for Peace, 1861-1862

April 18, 2012

As the country celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, one major event has passed unnoticed, though it stands as a massive demonstration of people power harnessed in the cause of peace and justice. It involved thousands of men, women and children of color in a painful and vast exodus to flee the Indian […]

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Black Indians: How NOT to Celebrate an Anniversary

January 16, 2012

As 2011 ended the U.S. Senate voted 92 to 6 for the McCain-Levin amendments [S 1867] to the National Defense Authorization Act. In the name of fighting terrorism, an astounding majority of Democratic and Republican leaders granted unlimited authority to the President [and future Presidents] and the Army to arrest anyone, citizen or foreigner, here […]

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Thumbnail image for November is Native American History Month

November is Native American History Month

November 25, 2011

This October as many Americans celebrated “Columbus Day” men and women from more than half a dozen Native American nations marched to Zuccotti Square to voice support for “Occupy Wall Street.”  Invited to address the famous General Assembly, they linked their original experience with “colonialism and corporate greed” to OWS demands and current struggles of […]

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Thanksgiving . . . and Who to Thank

November 15, 2010

Thanksgiving remains the most treasured holiday in the United States, honored by Presidents since the Civil War when Abraham Lincoln initiated the Holiday to stir northern patriotism. Thanksgiving has often served political ends. In 2003 President George Bush flew to Bagdad, Iraq to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with U.S. troops. He brought a host of media […]

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The Historical Record as a Tribute to Native Americans

November 18, 2009

Early European explorers and settlers in the Americas depended on the skills and generosity of their Native hosts. No early foreign settlement could have lasted without the cooperation of Native Nations. Indians taught Europeans how to clear forests, plant and harvest crops, and how to survive in the new environment. The newcomers learned to use […]

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Blood, Race and Cherokee Sovereignty

March 3, 2007

As President Bill Clinton and others arrived in Selma, Alabama for the 42nd anniversary of the “bloody Sunday” march that prodded Congress to pass the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Cherokee Nation chose a lower road. Members voted overwhelmingly for an amendment to their constitution that revokes citizenship rights for 2,800 members because their ancestors […]

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Africans and Indians: Only in America

February 23, 2007

Alex Haley’s successful tracking of Kunte Kinte gave the hunt for African ancestors a needed shove forward. But driven by their stubborn will and searching eye, as researchers fanned out in pursuit of African connections, another vision appeared. First as a recurring distraction, then a source of wonder, geological detectives stumbled on Native American ancestors. […]

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