BE A MODERN DAY WARRIOR FOR NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS

Transcription

1 BE A MODERN DAY WARRIOR FOR NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND ACTIVIST TOOL KIT TAKE A STAND MAKE A PLEDGE BE A MODERN DAY WARRIOR 1

2 Dear Activist & NARF Supporter, On behalf of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and the Native peoples we serve, we thank you for choosing to be part of NARF's "Modern Day Warrior" Campaign in honor of Native American Heritage Month. Your pledge to commit your time to help educate your friends, family and community about the very real issues impacting Native Americans today can make a big difference. Historically, Native American Heritage Month has either been overlooked or unfortunately been used to promote romanticized images, myths or stereotypes about Native Americans. Worse still, Native Americans are talked about in the past tense and relegated to tragic figures of the past while the success stories and challenges of modern day Native Americans is rarely discussed. Instead, this November you can help make Native American Heritage Month a time to raise awareness in your community about the issues impacting Native Americans today. The Indian Wars Never Ended For more than 38 years, NARF has used modern weapons of legal advocacy to defend the rights and cultural lifeways of Native peoples. It has also fought to protect the environment and to help empower Native people to attain self sufficiency. While much has been achieved, considerable challenges and work remain. Many historic injustices have never been resolved and new attacks on the rights of Native Americans continue. Make a Difference NARF is proud to have been a pioneer and leader in defending the rights of Native Americans. However, one thing is certain NARF has not done this work alone. Over the years, thousands of everyday people like you have joined NARF and supported our work to achieve justice for Native Americans. Yet, now more than ever we need even more people like you to join us in this continued battle to preserve the rights and cultures of Native Americans. We are asking you to join NARF this November and Be a Modern Day Warrior for Native Americans. Through some very simple steps, you can help MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE and make November truly a month honoring and celebrating Native Americans. NARF's Activist Tool Kit contains a number of ideas and resources to help you be a Modern Day Warrior for Native Rights by spreading the word and raising awareness and support in your workplace, school and community. It is meant to serve as a guide to help you plan activities in your community or provide simple actions that you and others can take to make a difference for Native Rights. Again, many thanks for your commitment to being a Modern Day Warrior for Native Rights. We are grateful to have supporters and partners like you in our fight to achieve justice for Native Americans. Ta' Tura Tsiksu (With Much Respect) John E. Echohawk Executive Director 2

3 Table of Contents Why Be a Modern Day Warrior for Native Rights?...4 Why Support NARF? How Can You Become a Modern Day Warrior?... 5 Simple Actions You Can Take to Make a Difference 5 Minutes or Less 6 10 Minutes or Less Minutes or Less..8 1 or More Hours...9 Resources to Help You Spread the Word, Educate & Organize Sample Letter to the Editor or Blog Post 10 Organize an Event-Steps for Planning...11 Host a House Party...13 Spread the Word-Media Lists & Internet 14 Sample Press Release.15 Suggested Educational Resources & Further Reading Links to Educational Resources.17 Media Resources..18 3

4 Why Be A Modern Day Warrior for Native Rights? Despite the significant gains and victories made for Native rights much work and many battles remain. Many historic injustices committed against Native peoples remain unresolved. Everyday new challenges and threats are posed to American Indians including on issues pertaining to: religious freedom, sacred sites, the environment, the rights of Native peoples to practice their traditional cultural and spiritual lifeways, to govern themselves according to their traditions and to create initiatives that will ensure opportunities to create sustainable economies to provide for their people. These threats and challenges to Native rights are relentless. The call for justice for Native peoples continues on. It is only through unity of voice, action and the willingness to stand together that we can achieve justice for Native Americans. NARF asks you to pledge to be a PARTNER and A MODERN DAY WARRIOR to help us STAND FIRM for JUSTICE for Native Peoples. Being a Modern Day Warrior for Native Rights can be as simple as spreading the word about NARF's work and the issues impacting Native Peoples today organizing an event or presentation at your workplace, school or within your community becoming a member of NARF Why Support NARF? Celebrating 38 Years of Standing Firm for Justice. Founded in 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. NARF have served as pioneers and leaders in the struggle to attain justice for Native peoples. NARF's practice is concentrated in five key areas: the preservation of tribal existence; the protection of tribal natural resources; the promotion of Native American human rights; the accountability of governments to Native Americans; and the development of Indian law and educating the public about Indian rights, laws, and issues. The Indian Wars Never Ended Popular conception is that the Indian Wars Ended in 1890 at the Massacre at Wounded Knee...unfortunately nothing could be farther from the truth. THE INDIAN WARS NEVER ENDED. The traditional battlegrounds have merely changed venue to courtrooms, including to the highest court in the land. 4

5 New Battlegrounds Today, NARF s attorneys are Modern Day Warriors that fight the NEW INDIAN WARS on new battlegrounds with weapons that include their minds, the law, advocacy, action and commitment to defending the rights of Native peoples on the battlegrounds of the 21st Century. NARF is the oldest and premier non-profit law firm dedicated not only to defending the rights of Native peoples, but particularly those Native peoples and tribes who do not have the financial means to defend their rights in courtrooms and in Congress-the new major battlegrounds of today. How Can You Become a Modern Day Warrior? FIRST. TAKE A PLEDGE. Simply sign our pledge to Stand Firm for Justice for Native Peoples. SECOND. TAKE ACTION. Review the enclosed ideas on basic things you can do to EDUCATE and MOBILIZE people in your community and then commit to one or more of the suggested activities in November. Simple ACTION can make a big difference for Native Rights. THIRD. SPREAD THE WORD. Tell your friends, family, co-workers and people in your community about NARF's Modern Day Warrior Campaign for Native American Month. Its easy to ask people to get involved. NARF is offering a variety of unique and beautiful Native American Month e-cards that you can send to help spread the word. FOURTH. BECOME A MEMBER OF NARF. The easiest way to support our work is to become a member or make a donation. Your contribution will be put to use where the need is greatest, and as a member of NARF, you will receive a variety of benefits according to your membership level. TAKE A STAND. MAKE THE PLEDGE. BE A MODERN DAY WARRIOR. 5

6 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 30 minutes. 1 + hours. Simple Actions That Can Make A Difference IN 5 MINUTES OR LESS: SIGN NARF'S MODERN DAY WARRIOR PLEDGE Take a minute to pledge your support for Native rights on our Native American Month website JOIN NARF'S MYSPACE OR FACEBOOK Show your support, invite your friends & leave us postings on what you are planning to do to support Native American rights. ORDER A MODERN DAY WARRIOR TOOLKIT The Modern Day Warrior Kit includes NARF's new short documentary "Modern Day Warriors," educational materials on issues impacting Native Americans & more! It is a powerful educational tool to share at events, house parties, presentations and other activities for Native American Month. SIGN UP FOR NARF'S E-ACTION NETWORK Get NARF's enews and updates on the issues impacting Native American rights. BECOME A MEMBER OF NARF The easiest way to support our work is to become a member or make a donation. Your contribution will be put to use where the need is greatest, and as a member of NARF, you will receive a variety of benefits according to the level of your membership. NARF Members are important partners in ensuring that NARF can continue its national legal and advocacy work on behalf of Native American rights. 6

7 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 30 minutes. 1 + hours. Simple Actions That Can Make A Difference IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS: SEND AN E-CARD Tell your friends & co-workers about NARF's "Modern Day Warrior" Campaign for Native American Month and ask them to join you in your support of Native American rights. NARF has several beautiful and unique free e- cards you can use to help spread the word. Ask them to sign our MODERN DAY WARRIOR pledge, download their own activist kit and to participate in one or more of the suggested activities by NARF to honor Native American Month. GET A NARF "JUSTICE AWARENESS BRACELET" When you wear your bracelet, people may ask you about it and what the colors mean. The bracelet design follows the colors of the Lakota Medicine Wheel. It represents our relationship to each other as human beings as well as our relationship to every living thing on earth. We also encourage you when you wear it to please tell people about NARF and the all the important work we are doing to safeguard the rights of Native Americans. CHECK OUT NARF'S NEWS & MEDIA CENTER Listen to podcasts, read our blog and learn more about NARF and the issues impacting Native Americans VISIT NARF'S ONLINE STORE Purchase cool apparel, educational materials & our Modern Day Warrior Kit. Every item sold helps support NARF's work for Native Americans. PLACE NARF VIDEOS ON YOUR WEBSITE, MYSPACE OR FACEBOOK Place "The Indian Wars Never Ended" Public Service Ad or "Modern Day Warriors" Documentary Trailer on your website, MySpace or Facebook and share it with friends! 7

8 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 30 minutes. 1 + hours. Simple Actions That Can Make A Difference IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS: WRITE A BLOG Writing a blog can be a powerful and effective means to spread the word, raise awareness and mobilize likeminded people who support defending the rights of Native Americans. Enclosed in the following pages of this kit are some tips for writing an effective blog as well as a sample blog to help get you started. WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF YOUR LOCAL PAPER The mainstream media and even a lot of alternative media sources rarely cover current issues impacting Native Americans. A letter to the Editor of your local paper or to your favorite print or online media outlet can be a powerful way to raise greater public awareness. It is a highly effective way to spread the word about NARF's National Campaign in November and the urgent need to protect the rights of Native Peoples. A sample letter is enclosed to help give you some ideas. WRITE YOUR CONGRESSPERSON Write your congressperson and ask them what they are doing to support the rights of Native Americans. Let him or her know that you support justice for Native Americans and that you strongly encourage them to make this a priority in their legislative work. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ELECTED & PUBLIC SCHOOL OFFICIALS Write your local elected and public school officials and ask them to make a public proclamation declaring November as National Native American Heritage Month. Ask them to support positive educational events in your community and public schools to raise awareness about the current issues impacting Native Americans. 8

9 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 30 minutes. 1 + hours. Simple Actions That Can Make A Difference IN 1 OR MORE HOURS YOU CAN: ORGANIZE AN EVENT TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS Organizing an event in your community, workplace or school can be an excellent way to raise awareness. We have enclosed some suggestions for organizing an event. There are different types of events you can organize: Host a gathering and presentation at your workplace, school or church. Order a Modern Day Warrior Tool Kit that includes NARF's new documentary and educational materials. Screen NARF's film to help raise awareness. Host a house party and screen NARF s film. Invite a local Native American professional, educator or tribal leader to give a presentation for people at your school, work or community about issues impacting the rights of Native Americans ACTIVIST TOOL KIT: RESOURCES TO HELP YOU SPREAD THE WORD, EDUCATE & ORGANIZE In the following pages of this NARF Activist Tool Kit, there are some useful tips for organizing events and presentations in your community. Some basic advice includes finding others interested in helping you organize an event, form a planning committee, get support from key stakeholders in your workplace, school and/or community and keep your event simple and focused. NARF also provides sample letters to the editor, sample press releases and links to educational resources to help you raise awareness in your community. Thanks for your commitment to be a Modern Day Warrior for Native Rights! 9

10 RESOURCES TO HELP YOU SPREAD THE WORD, EDUCATE & ORGANIZE SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR OR BLOG POST: Below is sample version of a letter to the editor or a blog post that you can use to craft your own for Native American Heritage Month. The media and Internet can expand the potential awareness in the general public about Native American rights issues faster than any other means. Some best practices for letters to the editor and blog posts is to keep it clear and concise. Most newspapers will have strict guidelines for length and submission so check with your local paper before submitting. If you are posting a blog, links to more information are also useful. Include NARF s website at where readers can get more information on issues impacting the rights of Native Americans. To the Editor: November is National Native American Heritage Month. The purpose of this month long observance is to honor and recognize the original peoples of this land. Throughout our history, Native Americans have been an important part of the foundations of this country. Yet, they have often been overlooked, stereotyped or misunderstood. Beginning with the arrival of Columbus in 1492, Native Americans were nearly wiped out as a result of genocide, disease, U.S. policies and systematic removal from their lands. Today, Native Americans continue to face discrimination and injustices in part due to U.S. policies and corporate greed. Many suffer from the same social and economic challenges as other victims of long-term bias and discrimination. While some tribal Nations have begun to overcome these challenges, for the most part, Native Americans are very much separate and unequal members of society. As we think about Native Americans, we must not only look to the past, but also look at the present and future. Today, Native Americans are struggling to preserve a range of basic civil rights including: the right to practice their spiritual and cultural traditions, to safeguard their lands and the environment, to ensure their voting rights, to eliminate the use of racist mascots by schools and professional sports teams and to hold the U.S. government accountable for its historic responsibilities to Native Americans. We should not only make National Native American Heritage Month a time to reflect and understand the history of Native Americans but to also understand our responsibility to ensure that their basic civil and human rights are upheld. [Name and pertinent contact information] 10

11 ORGANIZE AN EVENT Events, big or small, can be an effective and fun way to raise awareness whether in your community, workplace, with your congregation, or on your school campus. Types of events and activities can include: a screening of NARF s Modern Day Warriors documentary, a presentation by a Native American speaker or a fundraiser to support NARF. Steps for planning: Form a local planning committee for National Native American Heritage Month. You may want to include co-workers, youth, parents, teachers, representatives from local Native American organizations and tribes, and other community members on your committee. Even a committee of just a couple of people can get a lot done! Decide what you want to do. Ask your planning committee the following questions: Who is your target audience? What goal do you want to accomplish with your actions? What is the main message that you want to get out? What type of event or activity will help you accomplish this goal that is realistic, affordable and something that will generate local interest? Will you order a NARF Modern Day Warrior Kit and screen NARF s short documentary? Will you invite a Native American speaker (an educator, professional, tribal leader) to speak? If so, who from your local community could you invite to speak on Native American rights issues? Can you attain the support, approval and/or buy-in of key stakeholders? For example, if you want to plan an event at your workplace, will your supervisor and fellow employees support this event? If you want to do something on your school campus, will school administrators allow you to hold an event for students to attend? What talents, resources, allies and interests do the members of your planning committee have that you could utilize? Are there local businesses, schools, organizations or other institutions that may help sponsor your event either through contributions to support event costs, donation of space to hold your event, provide volunteers and other needed assistance? When is the best time in November to hold your event to ensure the greatest participation by your target audience? How will you get the word out to promote your event, message and goals? Create a budget for your activity or event. Use the budget to determine if you will need to charge an admission fee, do fundraising, or solicit in-kind donations. If you need to raise money, assign specific committee members to contact potential supporters for your event. The main thing is to keep your event simple and realistic. 11

12 Make an action plan that assigns specific responsibilities to committee members (i.e., logistics, fundraising, advertising, volunteers, media outreach), and sets completion deadlines. Review this action plan and communicate regularly with your committee members to make sure things are proceeding on schedule and that you are aware of any challenges that may pop up. Plan your agenda for the event including the key talking points and message that you want to get across. Determine who will speak at your event. It would be ideal to extend an invitation to a local Native American educator, representative from a Native organization or tribe to speak at your event to talk about issues impacting Native American rights. If such a Native American speaker can not be found, contact your local University or Community College to ask if they have any professors or students that might be interested in speaking. Invite local media to cover your event or activity. You can increase the impact of your event by utilizing the media to get the word out about Native American rights. See the sample press releases enclosed. 12

13 HOST A HOUSE PARTY Hosting a house party is a smaller, more cost-effective and personal way to raise awareness and engage people for their support for Native American rights. A house party can be fairly short and simple. Invite friends, family and co-workers to come to your party. Use one of NARF s e-cards to create an invite to send to the people you would like to attend. Decide if you want to provide food or perhaps ask guests to bring a dish and make your party a potluck. Here are some simple suggestions for what you could do at your house party: Order the NARF Modern Day Warrior Action Kit on NARF s online store, that includes the new NARF short documentary on the Native American rights movement as well as educational materials, NARF stickers and Justice Awareness bracelets that you can give to your guests. Screening NARF s film can be a powerful and easy way to raise awareness of your guests as well as generate interesting discussions following the film about what people can do to support Native American rights. Create an agenda of basic talking points and generate a discussion on Native American rights. We have included some links in this tool kit to fact sheets and further reading on a range of Native American rights issues including religious freedom, environment/global warming, government accountability and other topics that may be of interest to you and your guests. Ask people to join NARF s e-action Network to get regular news and updates on issues concerning Native American Rights. Create a sign-in sheet and collect people s s who are interested in joining. After your house party, fax, or mail the sign-up sheet to NARF. (Contact information to send these are below.) Or make a computer with Internet access available to your guests that is logged into Guests can register for e-action on NARF s website. Download educational materials on Native American rights referenced at the end of this toolkit, photocopy and hand them out. Ask people to become Members of NARF and support our ongoing work to defend Native American rights. People can become members and find out more information on NARF s website at Ask people to donate what they can to support NARF s work. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Donations to NARF can be made online otherwise checks should be payable and sent to the Native American Rights Fund. All donations must be made payable to NARF and sent to: Native American Rights Fund Attn: Native American Heritage Month Campaign 1506 Broadway Boulder, CO

14 SPREAD THE WORD The media can greatly expand the impact of an event that your are planning. Some tips for involving the media include: Develop a list of local print, radio, and television media resources. You can find media information broken down by regions and states at Inform the media about your event by: Sending out a press release Press releases are used to tell a story and should be released before an event if you want to provide information about an achievement or a special event. Make sure to check local deadlines for press release submission. The following page provides a sample press release. Use the Internet to spread the word: ing and sending your press release to friends, local list-servs, or via MySpace and Facebook or other social networks is a great way to promote your event and spread the word. If ing friends and co-workers, ask them to forward your press release to their contacts to further promote your event. 14

15 Sample Press Release PRINT THIS RELEASE ON YOUR ORGANIZATION S LETTERHEAD FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date Contact: [Insert Name, Phone and ] [Name of Activity Sponsor] National Native American Heritage Month by [Description of Activity] WHO: Include the name of activity sponsor and a brief description of who will be participating (e.g. local officials, community members, businesses, organizations, volunteers, youth) WHAT: Describe event and indicate why event is being held (e.g. to commemorate National Native American Heritage Month) WHEN: Indicate the date and time of the event. WHERE: State where the event will be held. Include an exact street address and phone number that people can call in case they have questions. Facts: November is National Native American Heritage Month. The purpose of this month long observance is to honor and recognize the original peoples of this land. People and organizations nationwide are conducting a variety of activities this November in conjunction with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) to raise awareness about issues impacting the rights of Native Americans. NARF is the oldest non-profit legal and advocacy organization in the United States that since 1970, has been dedicated to defending the rights of Native Americans. Throughout our history, Native Americans have been an important part of the foundations of this country. Yet, they have often been overlooked, stereotyped or misunderstood. Today, Native Americans continue to face discrimination. Many suffer from the same social and economic challenges as other victims of long-term bias and discrimination. While some tribal Nations have begun to overcome these challenges, for the most part, Native Americans are very much separate and unequal members of society. Today, Native Americans are struggling to preserve a range of basic rights. We should not only make National Native American Heritage Month a time to reflect and understand the history of Native Americans but to also understand our responsibility to ensure that their basic civil and human rights are upheld. [State the goal of the event or activity you are organizing and how it relates to the National Native American Heritage Month campaign spearheaded by NARF]. [Include information about activity sponsor(s).] 15

16 SUGGESTED EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES & FURTHER READING 16

17 Celebrating 38 years of standing firm for justice. Founded in 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. NARF's practice is concentrated in five key areas: the preservation of tribal existence; the protection of tribal natural resources; the promotion of Native American human rights; the accountability of governments to Native Americans; and the development of Indian law and educating the public about Indian rights, laws, and issues. Below are some suggested educational resources and further reading on a variety of topics pertaining to Native American rights. NARF is working on a variety of cases pertaining to everything from government accountability, to American Indian religious freedom, global warming and voting rights issues. To learn more about NARF s current cases, please go to For some basic information on Native American rights, the following links contain useful information. We also you to encourage NARF s National Indian Law Library Information that contains more links to a variety of topics and issues pertaining to Native Americans. Visit: LINKS TO EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 1. Frequently asked questions about Native Americans 2. Native American Indian History and the Native American's Ongoing Fight 3. Civil Rights and Native Americans Presidential Election: Candidates Policies on Native Americans 5. Environment, Natural Resources, Global Warming & Native Peoples 6. Native American History, Culture & Religion 17

18 Media Other useful websites to visit for coverage of current events impacting Native Americans include: NARF News & Media Center Indian Country Today Native American Times Indianz.com Native America Calling National Native News 18