As an advocate for Native Americans, I was glad to see that Sen. Brownback from Kansas introduced a joint resolution to "acknowledge a long history of official
depredations and ill-conceived policies by the United States Government
regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on
behalf of the United States."
Finally -- SOMEONE representing the U.S. government will simply acknowledge the fact that our European ancestors committed awful crimes against humanity: genocide against a people who have lived on this land for thousands of years before white settlers stepped foot on it.
SOMEONE will apologize for the forced removal of Native Americans from their homes and their sacred and spiritual spaces. Someone will apologize for stealing lands and treasures and never returning them.
SOMEONE will apologize for the forced assimilation techniques white people used to "kill the Indian, save the man." This included separating children from their families and forcing them into boarding schools where they were punished if they spoke their own language or practiced their tribal customs. This also included sterilizing many women and some men so that they could not bear children.
Many scholars have claimed that the lifestyles we have gotten used to in the United States perpetuate the ongoing poverty in other countries. Some say that the U.S. (5% of the world's population) takes up 25% of world's resources, which forces poorer countries to make do with less. Others disagree -- claiming that the world has limitless resources due to technology and ingenuity. Economists go back and forth on this debate, each side citing different numbers and various graphs to prove their points.
An extreme example of exploitation, however is when companies buy international debt, for pennies on the dollar. If the U.S. cancels the debt, these companies sue the developing countries for the whole debt plus interest. These funds are called "vulture funds", and rightly so. They allow companies to sit and wait for the perfect time to attack, when countries are at their most vulnerable state.
Many countries whose debt is just canceled are now made to pay these companies the money that could have gone to help reduce the AIDS epidemic, build new schools, or anything else that would promote well-being and economic recovery.
This is so awful, that Representative Maxine Waters recently introduced a bill to outlaw such funds.
"The act would protect impoverished countries from the predatory practices of vulture funds and allow these countries to use their limited resources to meet the needs of their people," said Waters. "I am proud of my work in Congress to cancel poor countries' debts. We cannot allow vulture funds to erode the progress that has enabled many of the world's most impoverished nations to reduce poverty."
Continue reading "What Do Vultures Have To Do with International Development?" »
I just got back from a Senate briefing on a Supreme Court decision that changed the definition of "Indian" so that far fewer tribes would get the rights that they were promised hundreds of years ago. I was embarrassed for our country because once again, Native Americans had to explain to Congress that their land was stolen, they were forced to move to "unwanted" parts of the country, and they continue to be treated as a colonized people. (my words not theirs.)
The lawsuit began because a tribe in Rhode Island wanted to buy back 31 acres of land (land that was theirs in the first place) in order to build housing for low-income folks. But multiple states and local goverments that might lose control of land (and taxes) are putting up a fight.
No wonder that 8 out of the 10 poorest counties in the United States are located on reservations. In Indian Country, there is little economic development and in some cases a lack of basic utilities such as heat and running water. There is no reason for this.
I sometimes think it's important to remind ourselves that poverty exists here in the United States -- simply because of the color of one's skin. This is especially true for the Native Americans.
Basic human rights and dignity still lack even in our land. Outreach International knows all too well that without these things, raising a community out of poverty is almost impossible.
-Karyn Wingard-Manuel
For those of us who don't follow politics every day (I was one of those people for a long time), it may seem from the headlines that Obama's budget has passed and that we are done worrying about the budget this year. Unfortunately, we are far from that point.
What passed in early April, was the top line numbers for the budget, the upper limits for accounts that include a wide range of programs. On this blog we were concerned mostly about the International Affairs Budget, which includes funding for a lot of development programs. We were successful in lobbying for an increase of the International Affairs Budget--It was increased by over $4 Billion!
Now Obama has submitted his specific requests for each program and it is time to lobby again. As you can see from the chart above, there are some very important programs that are underfunded in this budget.
Continue reading "Obama's Budget: How is it for the poor?" »
I remember sitting in the library a couple years ago and finding out that a friend of mine from Malawi had passed away from a bad case of malaria. I could do nothing but weep for Kathy and her family and think about how unfair the world is -- where people die of preventable disease for no good reason at all. I also remember the time when my husband was working in a Malawian hospital and saw a woman undergo an emergency c-section. There was no clean gauze available so the people attending to her were left no choice but to use guaze that had been collecting dust on a shelf. The woman later died a painful death due to the infection in her wound. It was another senseless death. I remember feeling overwhelmed by grief and hopelessness. The solutions seem so simple. Yet, I knew of nothing I could do to make a real impact for the hundreds of thousands of people dying every day. I wasn't a politician or a millionare -- and I didn't know anyone who had influence. At the same time, as a white, middle class, American I knew that I inherently carried much more power than many of the friends I made in southeastern Africa. But that power only felt superficial to me.
Continue reading "Sometimes I feel too powerless to make a difference." »
Earth Day is one of my favorite days, but today is 5 days after the day we honor our Earth (technically 6), so why I am still talking about it?
On April 22nd ever year, it is popular to talk about how great the environment is and how much we should be doing to end climate change, protect endangered species, promote clean energy, and the like. And on April 23rd, we move on to other things and we all pat ourselves on the back for being such good environmentalists on Earth Day.
Along the same lines, greenwashing has also become a hip, new trend, as this Earth Day comic indicates. This is especially true of advertising. Every product and every company is trying to convince us that they are "green". (One of my pet peeves is seeing ads in the metro station from Chevron asking me to go green...I don't need an oil company telling me how to save the environment.) The greenwashing of politicians' speeches is also a growing epidemic. And yet, despite the cacophany of voices claiming to be green, the kind of massive, system change that we need seems far from realization.
The point of all of this is to say that I don't want to just add to the mass of people trying to capitalize on the "green revolution." So I am going to ask us to do something different this year. Today, not less than five days after Earth Day, I am asking us to take seriously the plea to make every day Earth Day.
On April 22nd, Obama made his Earth Day speech proclaiming: "My Administration is also working to achieve a comprehensive energy and climate policy, one that will lessen our dependence on foreign oil, make the U.S. the global leader in clean energy technology, and prevent the worst impacts of climate change. "
The President is encouraging action. And Congress is moving toward action on climate legislation....Finally! A first draft of climate change legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was released. Now WE must act! The proposed legislation needs to be improved by leaving out the carbon trading and simply capping carbon emissions. Congress also needs to ensure that the revenue from this system is returned to consumers. Take the opportunity today to show that you care about the earth every day by writing your members of Congress, encouraging them to pass climate legislation with these improvements.
Write your letter here!
Another way that you can work to create a more sustainable world is by donating to organizations like Outreach International which helps to better the environment and the lives of the poor. Check out this amazing story!
-Stephen Donahoe
Sue McLaughlin guest blogs about her experience as the founder of her own Dining for Women chapter. What a wonderful way to gather people together in community, learn about the devestaing effects of poverty, and pitch in to make a difference. Thanks Sue!
As a woman of privilege by world standards related to income, education, and race, how can I make a difference for other women around the world who through no fault of their own live in extreme poverty? This is something that I've asked myself. There's so much need that it feels like filling an ocean with one drop of water at a time to try to do something about it. Then I heard about Dining for Women.
Dining for Women is an international giving circle dedicated to empowering women in the two-thirds world by funding programs that foster the physical, emotional, and economic self-sufficiency of women living in extreme poverty. Through the collective, focused giving of Dining for Women chapters all over the world, women can join with other women to make a difference in the world.
I started a chapter of Dining for Women in Independence, Missouri this month. We had our first meeting last night. Eleven like-minded women met to learn of the situation of women and children in Uganda and the work of Bead for Life in promoting economic self-sufficiency for women in that war torn country.
At our meeting we shared food and friendship, concern for our sisters in Uganda, listened to Ugandan music, and experienced the beauty of beads and jewelry handmade by the Ugandan women of Bead for Life. We learned of the devastation of AIDS that has left many of these women widows and HIV positive and raising their own and orphaned children. Through our donations (of what we would have spent on a nice dinner out) and our purchases of Bead for Life jewelry, we raised over $700 in our chapter alone. The money we raised will be combined with the other chapters of Dining for Women to provide a significant collective contribution to the developing self-sufficiency of the women of Uganda. Women linking with other women is what it’s all about!!
