Scoutseven

Talkin’ dotOrganize

In a parallel universe, I direct dotOrganize, and the wonderful Britt Bravo interviewed me the other day for the NetSquared Podcast. I’m told it would be kind of ridiculous if I didn’t tell anyone about it, so here ya go.

Leda and Britt talking about how dotOrganize came to be, what came out of our big report (Online Technology for Social Change: From Struggle to Strategy), and where we plan to go from here.

Listen Now>

Culture, Memory, and Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving in America.

The biggest holiday of the year, some would argue.

For those inclined to reflect on where this day really came from, here are some Wikipedia excerpts.

• The official history claims that the Pilgirms started it all, as we learn in school. Celebrating the harvest and also the generosity of the Native Americans who kept them from starving at the time (the fact that, as a nation, we continuously gloss over the subsequent fate of our generous neighbors is the reason I have chosen, many a time, to boycott celebrating  Thanksgiving all together).
• During the Revolutionary war, it seems like there were lots of Thanksgivings celebrated on the state level, mostly in response to war victories.
• Lincoln then declared it a national holiday in 1863, perhaps in response to the Civil War more than anything else. In his words, “This year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”
• And Roosevelt shifted it from the last Thursday of the month to the 2nd to last Thursday of the month in1939 because, waddya know, it gave people more time to shop (the Depression and all).

Thanksgiving has now taken on its own life in this country. Food and football and families and lots and lots of forgetting.

Americans are good at that.

For many (if not most) Native American peoples of this country, Thanksgiving is a deeply offensive day. For us, a celebration of what we have, for them, a National Day of Mourning. Let us not forget this. And let us not forget that the native struggle for sovereignty and land rights continues, to this day, all across North America. It is one of the most despicable and invisible cultural legacies of this country — too often overlooked, especially on Thanksgiving, even by those who consider themselves social justice activists (myself at the top the list).

A surprisingly useful page on About.com sums up much of the current struggle quite well. In summary:

Of central concern for many Native American activists is the ability to carry on traditional practices – religious beliefs, languages and other customs – free from discrimination. In response, they continue to fight to protect their rights and religious freedoms, both of which have repeatedly been threatened over the years through denial of access to religious sites, prohibitions on the use or possession of sacred objects, and restrictions on their ability to worship through ceremonial and traditional means. Specific rulings that have threatened them include:

• The Supreme Court, in 1998, allowed the construction of a Forest Service road through an ancient site held sacred by several tribes.
• The Supreme Court, in 1991, ruled that states and localities no longer had to show a “compelling governmental interest” to justify laws that limited or infringed upon religious exercise. (The case involved two Oregon men who were denied unemployment benefits after taking peyote as part of a worship ceremony of the Native American Church).
• Congress passed, and President Clinton signed, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 1993, which would have restored the “compelling interest” standards that limited government’s ability to enforce legislation that infringes upon religious freedom. However, the Supreme Court soon struck down RFRA as an unconstitutional exercise of Congressional powers.
• 1994 – A law signed by President Clinton exempted the religious use of peyote from federal and state controlled substance laws and prohibited discrimination against those who engage in the use of peyote for religious purposes. Although this protected Native Americans’ use of peyote, the fight to protect other areas of religious freedom continues.

Other Civil Rights priorities include:

• The ongoing battles for voting rights
• The elimination of mascots by schools and professional sports teams considered offensive as they reflect outdated stereotypes and perpetuate racism against Native Americans
• The absence of civil rights organizations to address grievances involving police misconduct and other criminal justice discrimination
• Under-representation in the employment at all levels of all institutions involved in the administration of justice, at the federal, state, and local levels in some states
• Lack of participation in local, state, and federal elections, which results in a lack of political representation at all levels of government, and ensures the continued neglect and inattention to issues of disparity and inequality in the Native American community
• Insufficient training, technical assistance and funding for tribal court systems and tribal law enforcement agencies
• Limited legal resources; victims of discrimination often find it difficult to secure legal representation and public defender programs are felt to be inadequate due to inexperience, lack of funding, and conflicts of interest
• Inadequate hate crime legislation prevent adequate response to crimes involving racial bigotry; tribal governments have not established civil rights offices to assist their constituents in seeking redress

That is just the beginning.

For more info, listen to the American Indian Movement webcast here.

If you know any additional resources, please put them in the comments.

I have struggled a lot with how to be in relation to this holiday, which I have loved since I was a child, and yet which reeks of historical amnesia.

I have boycotted, I have facilitated ceremonies of remembrance before the meal, I have just been angry.

Every year it is a struggle.

How do I honor the struggles behind this day, while also staying connected to my family and culture? How do I celebrate when there is so much to grieve? (knowing that without celebration, we are as good as dead). How do I take responsibility for my cultural heritage without living a life full of shame?

There are so many paradoxes to hold.

Big shout out to all you hard working campaigners!

I have barely spoken with some of my dearest friends and colleagues in six months, because they’ve been buried in campaign life… trying to turn the tide.

It’s brutal work. Each vote comes with a lot of sweat, sleepless nights, and way too much caffeine.

So thank you Tate. Thank you Steph. Thank you Billy. I’ve missed you.

Thanks to all of you across these lands who are probably having dinner with your friends and families for the first time in weeks, if not months.

And a big, special thanks to those of you who cannot claim that sweet smell of “victory”. Thank you to Naina and Alli and everyone who tried to get Aimee Allison elected here in my home town of Oakland. Thank you to those who tried to fight back the horrible, anti-gay propositions of Colorado, Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconson, and Idaho (shame, shame, shame). Thank you to those who fought for clean energy in California and elsewhere. Your work was not in vain. We will get there…

I extend my gratitude to all of you, for working within our broken system, and trying to make change where you can.

My hope comes in a whisper, reluctantly, but for the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel like there may come a day when I will no longer be ashamed of being an American.

Vote, Dammit!

And if you need some inspiration, check out George Michael at his absolute best!