Challenges Confronting American Indian Youth

Challenges Confronting American Indian Youth

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Indian Affairs (1993- )

Publisher:

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13:

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The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs received testimony from representatives of federal agencies as to how the U.S. government might better address the needs of American Indian youth through the development of federal laws, programs, and policies. The hearing was a followup to an oversight hearing 1 month earlier in which American Indian young people identified critical challenges they face. In oral testimony and written statements, senators and representatives of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA); the Indian Health Service (IHS); and the Departments of Labor, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) discussed the following topics: (1) the high rates of substance abuse, suicide, and teen pregnancy among American Indian youth; (2) problems of alcoholism and child abuse and neglect on Indian reservations; (3) summer youth employment programs sponsored through the Job Training Partnership Act, and proposed budget rescissions that would eliminate the programs; (4) the extent of crime in Indian country, and federal assistance to tribal law enforcement, tribal courts, and social services for delinquency prevention and intervention; (5) child health and family well-being; (6) HUD programs for Indian youth, focusing on drug elimination, sports, cultural activities, and Boys and Girls Clubs; (7) BIA efforts in the areas of child abuse prevention, parent education, youth entrepreneurship, health promotion, school improvement, drug abuse prevention in schools and communities, and gang resistance training; (8) IHS services related to physical and mental health; and (9) implications for tribes of the new block grants to states, including lists of programs to be terminated or amended. (SV)


"All the Real Indians Died Off"

Author: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Publisher: Beacon Press

Published: 2016-10-04

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 0807062669

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Unpacks the twenty-one most common myths and misconceptions about Native Americans In this enlightening book, scholars and activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, and drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held and enduring myths such as: “Columbus Discovered America” “Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed Pilgrims” “Indians Were Savage and Warlike” “Europeans Brought Civilization to Backward Indians” “The United States Did Not Have a Policy of Genocide” “Sports Mascots Honor Native Americans” “Most Indians Are on Government Welfare” “Indian Casinos Make Them All Rich” “Indians Are Naturally Predisposed to Alcohol” Each chapter deftly shows how these myths are rooted in the fears and prejudice of European settlers and in the larger political agendas of a settler state aimed at acquiring Indigenous land and tied to narratives of erasure and disappearance. Accessibly written and revelatory, “All the Real Indians Died Off” challenges readers to rethink what they have been taught about Native Americans and history.


The New Trail of Tears

The New Trail of Tears

Author: Naomi Schaefer Riley

Publisher: Encounter Books

Published: 2021-11-30

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 1641772271

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If you want to know why American Indians have the highest rates of poverty of any racial group, why suicide is the leading cause of death among Indian men, why native women are two and a half times more likely to be raped than the national average and why gang violence affects American Indian youth more than any other group, do not look to history. There is no doubt that white settlers devastated Indian communities in the 19th, and early 20th centuries. But it is our policies today—denying Indians ownership of their land, refusing them access to the free market and failing to provide the police and legal protections due to them as American citizens—that have turned reservations into small third-world countries in the middle of the richest and freest nation on earth. The tragedy of our Indian policies demands reexamination immediately—not only because they make the lives of millions of American citizens harder and more dangerous—but also because they represent a microcosm of everything that has gone wrong with modern liberalism. They are the result of decades of politicians and bureaucrats showering a victimized people with money and cultural sensitivity instead of what they truly need—the education, the legal protections and the autonomy to improve their own situation. If we are really ready to have a conversation about American Indians, it is time to stop bickering about the names of football teams and institute real reforms that will bring to an end this ongoing national shame.


American Indian Education

American Indian Education

Author: Jon Reyhner

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

Published: 2015-01-07

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 0806180404

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In this comprehensive history of American Indian education in the United States from colonial times to the present, historians and educators Jon Reyhner and Jeanne Eder explore the broad spectrum of Native experiences in missionary, government, and tribal boarding and day schools. This up-to-date survey is the first one-volume source for those interested in educational reform policies and missionary and government efforts to Christianize and “civilize” American Indian children. Drawing on firsthand accounts from teachers and students, American Indian Education considers and analyzes shifting educational policies and philosophies, paying special attention to the passage of the Native American Languages Act and current efforts to revitalize Native American cultures.


Schooltalk

Schooltalk

Author: Mica Pollock

Publisher: New Press, The

Published: 2017-02-07

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1620971046

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An essential guide to transforming the quotidian communications that feed inequality in our schools—from the award-winning editor of Everyday Antiracism Words matter. Every day in schools, language is used—whether in the classroom, in a student-teacher meeting, or by principals, guidance counselors, or other school professionals—implying, intentionally or not, that some subset of students have little potential. As a result, countless students “underachieve,” others become disengaged, and, ultimately, we all lose. Mica Pollock, editor of Everyday Antiracism—the progressive teacher’s must-have resource—now turns to what it takes for those working in schools to match their speech to their values, giving all students an equal opportunity to thrive. By juxtaposing common scenarios with useful exercises, concrete actions, and resources, Schooltalk describes how the devil is in the oft-dismissed details: the tossed-off remark to a student or parent about the community in which she lives; the way groups—based on race, ability, and income—are discussed in faculty meetings about test scores and data; the assumptions and communication breakdowns between counselors, teachers, and other staff that cause kids to fall needlessly through the cracks; or the deflating comment to a young person about her college or career prospects. Schooltalk will empower educators of every ilk, revealing to them an incredibly effective tool at their disposal to support the success of all students every day: their words.


Communities in Action

Communities in Action

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-04-27

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 0309452961

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In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.


Trauma and Resilience in the Lives of Contemporary Native Americans

Trauma and Resilience in the Lives of Contemporary Native Americans

Author: Hilary N. Weaver

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-03-18

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 1351614657

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Indigenous Peoples around the world and our allies often reflect on the many challenges that continue to confront us, the reasons behind health, economic, and social disparities, and the best ways forward to a healthy future. This book draws on theoretical, conceptual, and evidence-based scholarship as well as interviews with scholars immersed in Indigenous wellbeing, to examine contemporary issues for Native Americans. It includes reflections on resilience as well as disparities. In recent decades, there has been increasing attention on how trauma, both historical and contemporary, shapes the lives of Native Americans. Indigenous scholars urge recognition of historical trauma as a framework for understanding contemporary health and social disparities. Accordingly, this book uses a trauma-informed lens to examine Native American issues with the understanding that even when not specifically seeking to address trauma directly, it is useful to understand that trauma is a common experience that can shape many aspects of life. Scholarship on trauma and trauma-informed care is integrated with scholarship on historical trauma, providing a framework for examining contemporary issues for Native American populations. It should be considered essential reading for all human service professionals working with Native American clients, as well as a core text for Native American studies and classes on trauma or diversity more generally.